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TA 1001 - 1101 CAISTOR CHURCH STREET (South Side) 9/47 Church of St 1-11-66 Peter and St Paul G.V. I Parish Church. Cll, C12, C13, C14, C15, C17, C18. Chancel rebuilt 1848, restoration by Butterfield 1862. Roofs painted 1894. Rood beam erected 1929. Ironstone and limestone coursed rubble, with limestone and ironstone dressings, slate roofs. West tower, north and south aisles, north porch, chancel, vestry. West tower of ironstone with limestone buttresses, of 5 stages, irregular construction. The lowest stage is of 2 main phases, the earlier being represented by 2 wide arches in the west and south walls. The arches are made up of long narrow voussoirs, and are now blocked. The western arch is cut by the C12 west door, which is central to the axis of the present tower, though the earlier arch is offset to the south. The west door has chamfered imposts and a round head with chevron decoration beneath a chamfered hoodmould. Doorway is flanked by 2 narrow stepped buttresses, probably of C14 date. The south buttress has a pieceof C13 recumbent slab with a cross fleury incorporated into it. Above the west door is a C19 lancet and in the fourth stage a C13 2 light opening, the lights having cusped ogee heads with a quatrefoil in the tympanum, set within a double chamfered pointed opening having a chamfered hood mould with grotesque label stops. Above again is a hollow moulded string course from which project 3 water chutes, 2 grotesques at the angles and one knight. The battlemented parapet has pinnacles at the angles; the top stage details are repeated on all four sides. The north wall of the tower is of 4 external stages. A blocked, probably C13 pointed headed doorway can be seen at the base, though the details are now obscure. Above is a C13 small, weathered, but originally pointed headed light. In the angle between the north aisle and the north side of the tower, the face alternate quoins can be seen of what was originally the north west angle of the nave. North aisle is built of ironstone. At the west end is a C19 3 light window in a curious late Gothic style. To the east is the contemporary porch with Gothic quatrefoils and Tudoresque rectangular windows in the side walls and an outer arch in C13 style without capitals but with stop chamfers. Stone coped gable rises to a cross fleury. The inner doorway is a recut C13 arch, single chamfered reveals and chamfered hood mould. East of the porch are 3 further 4 centred C19 3 light windows, each with elaborate cusped tracery. In the east wall, a more regular 3 light window with developed Y tracery, pointed arch and hood mould. North clerestorey has 4 windows of 3 lights each beneath angular 4 centred hood moulds having human head and beast label stops. The lights have trilobed cusped heads and chamfered mullions. Battlemented parapet above a hollow moulded string course with occasional grotesques. North and south walls of the 1848 chancel have cusped trefoil headed lancets, the east wall has 3 similar plus a cusped trefoil light above. The east wall of the south chapel has evidence of a blocked doorway about two thirds along from the north end. 4 stones of the extended footings project further than the rest, and 3 stones of the reveals are visible on either side of the doorway. There is a set back stepped buttress on the east wall, a plain plinth which is stepped to the south, and in the south wall a 2 light C19 window. The south gable of the chapel is coped with kneelers, a further buttress to the south west angle. In the west wall the shape of a blocked C13 lancet can be seen above the oil tank. The south aisle has a fine though weathered C13 doorway in a slightly advanced entry bay with a sloping solid roof. The doorway has 5 clustered keeled shafts in the reveals which continue over the arch as ribs, the 2 elements being separated by annular capitals with matching narrow abaci. The arch ribs are surmounted by orders of dogtooth, but this only continues in the outer pair of the lower orders. The doorway is flanked by slender late C15 3 light windows with cusped ogee heads and pierced spandrels beneath a flat moulded hood which terminate in plain horizontal label stops. Eastwards, there is a third similar 4 light window. The clerestory matches that to the north. The west wall of the north aisle displays the same large face alternate presumably Saxon quoins as on the south, in addition, a prominent straight joint further south attests the probable former existence of a much narrower aisle. The north wall of the tower is in 4 stages, of ironstone, but with some C19 patching. At the base, the second of the early arches can be seen and, like that to the west, is composed of long narrow voussoirs. This arch is cut by the stepped south western tower buttress, which contains part of a C13 coped tomb slab bearing a cross. Immediately east of the early arch is a stepped C13 buttress, so dated because it avoids a small lancet window to the west. The lancet could, of course, have been there earlier, but it seems more likely that it was so sited in order to accommodate the buttress position. Above the buttress in the second stage is a sandstone sundial dated 1835, with above a large clock of 1853, balancing that to the north. Inside, C13 north and south arcades of 4 bays, the 'ammonite' label stops of the north aisle arches are paralleled in work by Bishop Grossteste at Lincoln (1235-53). The shafts stand on large square bases, recut in the C19. The shafts have octagonal water retaining bases, octagonal shafts with moulded nailhead capitals hollow abaci and double chamfered arches, having hollow moulded hood moulds terminating in human heads on the south side and ammonites on the north. The Romanesque tower arch is plastered and hence all its details are obscured apart from the plain imposts which are chamfered on the undersides. Inside, the tower has 3 openings on the ground floor on the west, north and south. The south doorway is round headed and since the voussoirs do not match the reveals, it looks repositioned; it is not visible outside, but could be a worn keyhole window. The chancel arch is C13, engaged octagonal responds with single chamfers. The capitals have simple leaf forms in the necking, evidently early in the C13 to match the water retaining bases. Double chamfered arch over. There is a contemporary double chamfered arch on the south side, resting on single engaged annular corbels. On the north side, a similar corbel exists, as does the springing for an arch on the south side, but the arch it supported has gone, probably when the rood loft was contrived in the C14, the shape of which can be seen in the plaster above. All this looks like evidence of former transepts. On the east side of the crossing, in the angles, are the engaged shafts of a late Norman crossing, with a further scallop beyond on either side. These shafts are consonant with a large and impressive C12 building, probably with a cruciform plan. The chancel was largely rebuilt in 1848, and all the fittings and glass are of that date. Monuments:- In the vestry on the east wall are a black slate wall plaque to Sir Edward Maddison d.1553. Deceased shown kneeling in full armour, regarding a book on an altar, his plumed helm before him. On the west wall a collection of 7 wall plaques, including one to William Fields, d.1732, which features 2 urns and a shell in a provincial style. Above is a second monument to a member of the Maddison family, Katherine, d.1619. An effigy of Sir William de Hundon, late C13, knight in mail and surcoat, shield and dog at feet, set in contemporary arched tomb recess in the north wall of the Hundon Choir. Effigy further east may be that of his wife, also late C13 feet on dog, flowing gown, draped head. Further east still is the magnificent though damaged effigy to Sir John de Hundon, High Sheriff of Lincolnshire, died late in the C14. Shown in full plate armour with a mailed gorget and basinet helm, all straps to helm, cingulum and spurs are decorated with roses. The tomb recess matches the quality of the rest, having deep cusping with sunk spandrels,. Brass to John Ousterby, d.1461, and his wife in the chancel floor. Fragment of a C12 wheel head stone grave maker to the south of the lectern, and on the north wall of the Hundon Choir the famous Caistor Gad Whip. Listing NGR: TA1167601271

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