Description

WYVERSTONE WESTHORPE ROAD (NORTH
TM 06 NW SIDE)

4/140 Church of St. George
29.7.55

GV I

Parish church. C14, largely refenestrated in C15, restored 1900. Flint
rubble with some larger stones in tower. Ashlar dressings with some knapped
flint. Largely cement rendered. Leaded nave and porch roofs, steeply pitched
machine tiled chancel roof. Short nave, narrower chancel, west tower, south
porch. 3 stage square west tower, a 2-light window in lower stage to west,
trefoiled ogee headed lights, a square head with hoodmould, second stage has
quatrefoil openings, string course to belfry with tall 2-light openings to
south and west as in lower stage without hoodmould, to north and east ogee
vesica openings, cornice with gargoyles to embattled parapet with restored
chequerwork, 3 stage diagonal buttresses to west and straight buttresses to
east, double plinth, chequerwork. Nave to south has a C14 pointed entrance
arch to west of centre with complex double moulding, mask stopped hoodmould,
flanking large 2-light Perpendicular windows, segmental pointed arched heads
with hoodmoulds, 2 stage buttresses. Nave to north has similar windows, 4
stage buttresses, blocked north entrance opposite south door has a pointed
arch with double hollow moulding, hoodmould. Nave east end has a shallow
coped gable parapet with ridge cross. C15 clerestorey presaging aisles that
were never built or simply for better light, four 2-light windows unrelated to
spacing below, cusped ogee lights, traceried segmental pointed arched heads
with hoodmoulds. Restored late C14 timber south porch is set off centre to
south entrance, pointed outer arch with a double wave moulding, renewed timber
panelling, gable with C19 traceried bargeboards, ridge cross, returns have
lower rendering, renewed cusped 2-light windows. Inside porch original 2 bay.
crown post roof, moulded arched braces to cambered tie beams, short octagonal
crown posts with moulded caps and bases, large 4 way arched bracing. Chancel
east end restored C14 pointed arched 3-light window, trefoiled ogee headed
lights, transitional curvilinear/rectilinear tracery, 2 stage diagonal
buttresses with chequerwork in plinth, ridge cross. Chancel to south has a
pointed arched low side door towards west, wave and hollow mouldings,
hoodmould, flanking 2-light Perpendicular windows with segmental pointed
arched heads and a 2 stage buttress, a similar window and buttress to north.
Interior: C14 pointed chancel arch, inner hollow and outer quirked wave
mouldings, responds have engaged shafts, moulded ring capitals with Tudor
flower and rose ornament, moulded bases. Low tower arch restored with knapped
flint and ashlar quoining. Restored C15 8-bay nave roof, alternating single
hammerbeam and arch braced collar trusses, moulded arched braces from hammer
posts to short brattished hammer beams, moulded arched braces to high cambered
collars, kingposts to moulded ridge piece, moulded butt purlins and
principals, ashlaring concealed by double brattished and moulded panels; from
centre of collar towards east hangs a pulley block for suspending the 'Rowell'
or circle of lights in front of the rood. Ceiled chancel roof. Nave windows
have moulded heads to rear arches. Rood stair openings in nave to north east,
that below retaining its 4 centred arched head. C14 piscina in chancel to
south with a cusped ogee head. Richly carved late C14 chancel screen dado has
been reset in position; carved scenes in cusped ogee headed panels with
rectilinear traceried heads, from north to south: St. Gabriel, Annunciation,
Nativity, Visit of Magi, St. Gregory's Mass, Visitation, a quatrefoil frieze
below; south section missing and replaced by early C17 panelling with acanthus
and guilloche ornamented upper section. Early C15 octagonal font on steps,
cusped traceried stem, Tudor flowers on underside of bowl with 4 quatrefoil
traceried faces with Tudor flowers, 4 cusped circle faces with shields of
arms, Tudor flower cornice; mid C17 open font cover, moulded base, central
turned post with a finial, 8 curved side pieces with holes for lifting ropes.
Towards west end of nave are C15 and C16 benches with poppyhead ends, several
have C17 backs with rounded poppyheads, another has an end with a scrolled
lozenge at head with '1616 TH.WM' inscribed. Towards east end of nave early
C19 panels from box pews reset along walls. Early C16 semi-octagonal pulpit
with linenfold panelling. Early to mid C17 turned communion rails in 5
sections with capped standards. A medieval iron bound chest, rounded head,
restored sides, triple locks. Simple late C18, C19 and early C20 marble
tablets on chancel walls include memorials to members of Steggall Family with
Latin inscriptions. Royal Arms of William and Mary in nave to west, carved
elm, and of George III in nave to north, painted panel dated 1812. Fragments
of early glass in nave north windows including head of Jesus to north west,
C19 east window.

Listing NGR: TM0420567860

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17526200

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  For the Record
• 
  ENGLAND GUIDE TO POST WAR LISTED: A Guide to Post-war Listed Buildings
• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments