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Description

WHAPLODE CHURCH STREET TF 32 SW (west side) 9/134 Church of St. Mary 30.6.66 G.V. I Parish church. c.1140, c.1190, early C13, C14, C17, 1818. Limestone ashlar and rubble, some render, some red brick patching. Lead roofs with stone coped gables and cross finials. nave with north and south aisles, north and south porches, clerestory, north transept and south-east tower, chancel. West front of c1190 clasped by north and south aisles and with fragmentary plinth. Doorway projects slightly, topped by gable and with pointed, richly moulded head and hood mould; 4 shafts on each side with stiff leaf capitals. Doorway flanked by single blind pointed openings with roll moulded heads with hood moulds and slender supporting shafts with stiff leaf capitals. Pilaster buttresses beyond each with single windows in west end of each of the aisles, both heavily restored in C17, the north with almost semi-circular head, the south pointed, and both with plain mullions. Above the doorway is a large C14 window with pointed head, hood mould and head label stops, however it is partially blocked and a smaller pointed C17 window inserted with 5 lights and transom. North aisle with plinth, string course, sill bands and regularly placed 2 stage buttresses. Blocked window to the right with almost segmental head, hood mould and head label stops. Shallow pointed early C14 window to left with 3 cusped ogee headed lights, tracery and fragmentary hood mould. Shallow gabled porch beyond with pointed doorway with continuous double chamfered surround and plank door. 3 shallow pointed windows to left all with C17 mullions inserted and hood moulds. Parapet above. Transept with 3 stage diagonal buttresses and large pointed C14 5 light north window with C17 mullions with sub-panel tracery above. East side with large rectangular C17 6 light mullion window. Partially blocked pointed C14 window to left with C17 mullions inserted and double chamfered surround. Clerestory of c.1150 with 22 blind, semi-circular headed arches with continuous hood moulds, flanking shafts with cushion or scalloped capitals with third, sixth, tenth, thirteenth, sixteenth and nineteenth bays from the west, opened up into windows. Small square window to left inserted into pointed opening. Gargoyle to right. East gable end of nave with semi- circular headed window of c.1150 with roll moulded head, flanking shafts with cushion capitals and hood mould. Chancel, restored in 1818, with a pair of 3 stage buttresses flanking a C17 3 light rectangular window and with suggestions of blocked former arcade. East end with plinth, moulded string course and sill band beneath large C14 pointed window with deeply moulded surround, hood mould with small head label stops and 4 lights with C17 intersecting tracery, blocked beneath transom. South side of chancel with C17 3 light rectangular window flanked by 3 stage buttresses. West end of south aisle with sill band running beneath a pointed window of c.1280 with 3 pointed lights and sub Y tracery. Parapet above. 4 stage bell tower attached to south of c.1190 and with 4 stage angle buttresses, the upper stages being pilasters with nook shafts. South-west buttress contains polygonal stair turret with lancets, one being chevroned. Moulded plinth. Plain east doorway with shallow pointed head and double plank doors. It is flanked by a blind arcade which also runs above. The arcade consists of 5 pointed, chevroned arches supported on moulded capitals with shafts and moulded bases. South side of bell tower with blind arcade with 4 pointed, chevroned arches, hood moulds, label stops, 5 slender shafts with moulded capitals and bases. The second archway from east contains small round headed lancet. West side has a similar arcade with beaded capitals and only one shaft intact. The second stage on the east side has a trefoiled niche with ornate gablet above doorway, the former breaks through a blind arcade of 3 pointed arches plus 2 outer half arches. South side, second stage with blind arcade of 3 pointed arches with slender shafts, moulded capitals and bases. Central arch contains lancet. West side has a similar arcade and lancet, however only one shaft survives. East side, third stage with blind arcade similar to that of the stage below except that the central arch contains a doorway with plank door and a clock is set above. South and west sides have similar arcades and doorways. East side has gabled outline of former transept roof. Bell openings on all 4 sides, each with a pair of pointed heads richly roll moulded and with several slender shafts with moulded capitals, bands of chipstar, shaft rings and C14 tracery. Moulded string course and eaves, the latter with small sculptured motifs and several projecting gargoyles. Battlements with small corner pinnacles with ball finials. South aisle with 3 C19 triangular headed windows, each with 3 cusped ogee headed lights, tracery and hood mould. 2 similar windows are beyond the gabled C16 porch to the left with semi-circular headed doorway with continuously double chamfered surround. Porch interior with flanking stone benches, tunnel vault and pointed doorway of c1190 with richly roll moulded head with hood mould, paired shafts (one missing to the right), all with stiff leaf capitals and C17 double plank doors. Clerestory on the south side is slightly later than that on the north side with 7 large C17 windows inserted into the blind arcade of 21 bays. The windows are all pointed with 2 mullions and hood mould. The blind arcade arches are all pointed and the 11 westward arches retain their moulded capitals. Interior of west doorway has continuous roll moulded surround, hood mould and label stops. 7 bay north and south arcades, the three bays to the west of c.1185; the 4 bays to the east of c.1140. The latter with semi-circular arches with a half roll and 2 slight chamfers. North-east respond with a cluster of 3 shafts with scalloped capitals. Semi-circular south-east respond with fish- scale scalloping. First complete piers to north-west and south- west, each with a rectangular plan and a cluster of 3 large rounded shafts to each side. Next pair of piers to the west are squat and round, and the pair beyond, squat and octagonal. All the above said piers with scalloped capitals. The 3 later bays to the west with quatrefoil piers, triple western responds, early stiff leaf capitals or trumpet scallops. Spandrels of 4 bays to the east containing blind oculi; the spandrels of the 2 south- west bays contain blind quatrefoils. North clerestory windows with nook shafts with cushion capitals and chamfered heads with hood moulds. South aisle with ogee piscina with cusped bowl. North aisle leads into north transept with a broad C14 almost semi-circular archway with hood mould and head label stops. South aisle leads into vestry with C12 double chamfered, semi- circular headed archway with plain moulded capitals. Blocked south archway of c.1190 leads off screened off vestry into tower, with keeled responds and C18 panelled door inserted. Semi- circular headed chancel arch of c.1140 with inner roll moulded order, chevroned, double fish-scale and diamond outer orders, supported on scalloped corbels and slender outer shafts with scalloped capitals. To the south is a rectangular stair turret originally giving access to rood screen no longer extant, with ogee headed, continuously chamfered doorway; with small cusped ogee headed light above and another plain door above that. North wall of chancel with 2 bays of blocked early C13 arcade, with pointed, double chamfered heads and moulded capitals. C15 hammer beam nave roof with delicate arched and traceried braces. C15 aisle roofs. Early C18 bolection moulded panelled reredos carved with a flagon, chalice and dish of rolls. C19 communion rail re- using C18 hand rail. C17 six sided pulpit with curving flight of 5 steps; fretworked arches and pilasters with flower heads and dentillated bands, and book rest. Mid C12 font partially re-cut in C17. 3 rectangular steps with extra step for priest to west, lead up to font supported on 4 free standing columns with spiral decoration and central larger plain shaft. Octagonal bowl re-cut with flutings. Various stone fragments include 2 Anglo Saxon inscribed stones; 2 stone coffins and 2 coffin lids, one C14, with ornate foliate cross inscribed; a crocket capital set into south wall, fragment of rib vault or respond and other miscellaneous carved stones including part of an octagonal shaft. Hatchment dated 1773 and inscribed: 'L. Bullard Pinxit'. Large canopied tomb to Sir Anthony and Elizabeth Irby, the former died 1623, with 10 composite columns on tall pedestals, supporting inscribed entablature and flattened ogee canopy crowned by large cartouche with coat of arms. 3 sons and 2 daughters kneel between columns. The recumbent effigies of Sir Anthony and his wife, with a boar at his feet, a griffon at hers; he in black and gold armour and she with a ruff and blue robes. The whole painted and gilded; likewise the wrought iron railing that runs round the whole with regularly placed fleur-de-lys terminations. Other monuments include an ashlar cartouche with marble scrolled plaque, to Benjamin Grant, died 1734, and an ashlar and gilt monument to Benjamin Grant, died 1716, with cherubs, palms, skulls and festoons. Gravestones include one to John Ailjiup, died 1755. Listing NGR: TF3234824016

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