Church Of St Andrew

NZ 22 SE GREAT AYCLIFFE CHURCH LANE (West side, off)

10/8 Church of St. Andrew 12/11/80 1

Parish church. Evidence of Saxon nave and tower; c.l190 Transitional nave and chancel; c.1220 upper stages of tower refaced and south aisle added; Cl5 belfry; 1835 south porch; 1881-2 restoration by Ewan Christian included addition of new north aisle, organ chamber and vestry and rebuilding of chancel south wall. Snecked and rubble masonry with green slate roofs. West tower engaged by aisled nave; south porch; chancel with north organ chamber and vestry.

Buttressed, 4-stage tower with possibly Saxon sandstone masonry in lower 2 stages and limestone above (Saxon-type masonry continues to third stage within tower); blocked 2-light openings with shouldered heads to third stage; pointed openings with Y-tracery to belfry; embattled parapet. South-west buttress has sculptural fragment. 4-bay nave; buttressed south aisle has Cl9 windows and C16 2-light window in west bay; gabled porch conceals c.1220 inner doorway under 2-order pointed arch with colonnettes, keeled roll moulding and hoodmould on head stops; late C17 south aisle parapet. Buttressed north aisle has 2- and 3-light windows and west-return has lancet with grave-cover head and jamb. Low-pitched aisle roofs and steeply-pitched nave roof. Lower 2-bay chancel has 2 round-headed windows re-set in south wall; north wall has 2 similar windows (that to west hidden by organ chamber); east end has chamfered sill band and stepped group of 3 round-headed windows, probably early C19. Organ chamber and vestry with octagonal stack; steeply-pitched chancel roof.

Interior: square-sectioned, Saxon string course above nave arcades (2 quoins at west end of north arcade). 3-bay arcades are double-chamfered towards nave: semicircular north arcade, with hoodmoulds and nutmeg, on alternating octagonal and round piers and responds; pointed south arcade, with hoodmoulds, on round piers. 3 similar pointed tower arches. Possibly Saxon blocked doorway, in later chamfered surround, above tower arch. Piscina at east end of south aisle. Pointed chancel arch and semicircular responds have nailhead. Medieval sculptural fragments in chancel south wall. Late C19 nave and chancel roof with braced collars. Fittings and monuments: 2 late C10 cross shafts; early C14 effigy of cross-legged knight and foliated grave cover at west end of nave. Another grave cover near pulpit. Plain early Norman font. Mid C17 balustraded pews, pulpit, altar table, reredos and screen to organ chamber.

(Rev. J.F. Hodgson, "Aycliffe Church", Transactions of the Architectural and Archaeological Society of Durham and Northumberland, 1st. series Vol. III (1880) and Vol. VI (1906-11)).

Listing NGR: NZ2830522164