Description

WEEK ST MARY WEEK ST MARY
SX 29 NW
6/83 Church of the Nativity of the
Blessed Virgin Mary
29.9.61
I

Parish church. C14 south arcade, C15 aisles, late C15/early C16 porch and
tower, some chancel masonry looks C13. Substantial restoration by James P St
Aubyn between 1876 and 1881. Porch, aisle walls and chancel slatestone,
polyphant and Ventergan rubble with granite dressings, tower granite ashlar,
granite window tracery. Slate roof. Largely perpendicular church of nave,
chancel, north and south aisles, west tower and south porch. 5-bay aisle
arcades each with 2 bays to chancel. Fine 3-stage, unbuttressed, battlemented
west tower with band of carving on plinth and above and below each of 3 moulded
string-courses. Plinth carving similar to Jacobstow but with added variants:
some mouchettes in roundels, Star of David, crosses, pot of lilies. Similar
carving below string-courses to other stages which have bands of lozenges above
strings. West door-way shallow moulded arch below square-headed hood mould,
quatrefoils carved in spandrels. Above door 3-light Perpendicular window with
hood mould and band of lozenge decoration below sill. Plain statue niche to 2nd
stage, 2-light belfry opening to belfry stage. North face, 2nd stage has
sexafoil-headed niche below hood mould terminating in engaged finial, 3-light
belfry opening and slit openings to light internal north-west stair. South face
is show front with elaborate 2nd stage niche with vine-carved jambs and 3-sided
canopy with engaged crocketted pinnacle. 3-light window to belfry stage.
Further statue niche on east wall of tower. Tower battlemented with tall
octagonal crocketted corbelled pinnacles terminating in crosses. Gabled south
porch with moulded, granite, 4-centred, outer door arch carried on engaged
shafts with unusual bulbous capitals. Square-headed architrave, mouchettes in
spandrels. Sexafoil-headed niche with hood mould in porch gable. C19 panel and
rib wooden porch roof. Inner door probably C14: deeply moulded polyphant with
some evidence for unusual stops. Aisle windows 3-light Perpendicular-style
granite tracery, aisle windows east, 4-light. East windows tall and sharply-
pointed: 2 mullions, 1 transom, no cusping. North aisle has moulded string and
north door with moulded arch and square-head, floral motifs in spandrels. Door
has moulded battens and studs. 3-sided north stair turret has peaked granite
cap. South chancel door with moulded triangular head possibly C14. South
arcade to nave low polyphant piers of 4 shafts and 4 hollows with elaborate
mouldings above the capitals and moulded arches. North arcade and 2 east bays
of south have granite piers of hollows and shafts, moulded capitals and 4-
centred, shallow-moulded arches. Moulded granite tower arch carried on moulded
shafts and capitals. Unceiled waggon roofs to aisles with moulded ribs, foliage
bosses and vine-carved wall plates, some late C19 renewal. South aisle has
flowers carved on ribs, north has vine carved on 3 east bays. Nave roof late
C19 unceiled waggon. Choir stalls 1891, benches 1926-1930. Font probably C16
granite octagon with carvings similar to tower decoration on each face. Altered
pulpit made up of panels of linenfold carving. Simple moulded C13 piscina in
chancel. Kempe window in north aisle to Bertha Hoskins, died 1884. Good slate
memorial to Humphry Sethick, died 1663 in vestry floor with inscribed angel.
Good slate memorial to Margery Gayer, died 1679 fixed to interior north wall.
Original rough-plank floor to 2nd stage of tower. Plans to remove partial
ceiling in chancel, and to buttress east wall. Watercolour of church after 1881
restoration in vestry. Bell chamber not inspected.

Listing NGR: SX2372097714

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q17529021

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

• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)