Description

TL 2170 BRAMPTON CHURCH ROAD
(South Side)

13/56 Church of St. Mary
28.1.58

GV I

Parish church, mentioned in Domesday Survey, 1086, but the
chancel is C13 and the nave, north and south aisles are C16.
The west tower was built in 1635. The arcading in the chancel
and the choir stalls and misericords are noteworthy. Four stage
west tower, dated 1635 on stone panel. Limestone ashlar.
Embattled with crocketed pinnacles at corners and foliate
ornament and gargoyles to main cornice. Splayed plinth and four
stage set-back buttressing. Newel staircase in south west
corner. Door, window and bell stage openings are all 1635.
Nave, C15 of pebblestone, rebuilt with coursed limestone at west
end. C17 parapet of stone with moulded cornice and six
gargoyles and three C18 rainwater heads of lead. Each side of
clerestorey has five windows each of two cinquefoil lights.
South aisle, C15 also of pebblestone on splayed plinth and with
a similar parapet, cornice and gargoyles as nave. Five window
bays divided by buttresses, each bay with a window of four
lights with vertical tracery in four-centred arch. East window
similar but with five lights. South porch of pebblestone.
Parapetted gable end of coursed limestone ashlar. Diagonal
buttressing. The coping is surmounted by a cross with a small
attached shaft extending downward to a gabled niche with a
lilypot. Outer arch four-centred and flanked by two niches on
moulded corbels with ribbed vaulting. Inner arch two centred
and of three moulded orders. Original plank door with moulded
cover strips and fragments of C15 blind tracery. Chancel, C13.
Mainly pebblestone with C19 slate roof. South wall with C13
south doorway and C14 window with low side. Two C14 windows,
restored. East window C19 restoration of C13 four-light
window. Two late C13 windows in north wall, of two trefoil
lights in two-centred heads. North aisle is similar to south
aisle. Interior. North and south arcades of five two-centred
arches of two moulded orders on columns of grouped shafts,
quatrefoil in plan on moulded bases with half-octagonal capitals
to each shaft. C16 roof of five bays and six trusses. Cambered
tie beams on jackposts and original corbels, carved. C16 roofs
to north and south aisles with carved bosses at intersections of
main beams and rafters. Similar jackposts and corbels to those
of nave roof. Chancel arch similar to north and south arcades.
Chancel has late C13 blind arcading to north and south walls.
North wall with two bays in two centred arches, roll moulded,
springing from corbel carved with foliate ornament and one
attached column of three grouped shafts with moulded capital.
C13 doorway to C19 vestry. South wall has similar blind
arcading but in four bays, the bay to the south doorway is
narrower. Early C14 piscina in south wall of chancel. Trefoil
head, gabled and carved with foliate ornament. Gable originally
flanked by crocketed pinnacles, now eroded. Six finely carved
choirstalls with misericords, in the chancel. C14 screen
between chancel and nave. Communion rail, late C17 turned
balusters and moulded rail. Monuments. In south aisle, wall
monument to Sir John Bernard, Bart, 1682 by William Kidwell. In
south wall of west tower, wall monument to John Miller 1681 and
Thomas, his son, 1683. Font C15, octagonal bowl, with each
faced carved, on later stem. Floor slab, in nave to Paulina
Jackson, 1689, a member of the Pepys family.
RCH (Hunts) mon. (1), p23.
Pevsner: Buildings of England, p212.

Listing NGR: TL2148770716

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17527965

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

• 
  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)