Church Of St Mary And St Stephen

WOLSINGHAM CHURCH LANE(North end) NZ 0737 Wolsingham 39/344 Church of St. Mary 31.1.67 and St. Stephen

GV II

Parish church; 1848 rebuilding by W. Nicholson, with changed dedication to St. Matthew, of C12 and C13 building; earlier dedication restored with 1896 reconsecration. 1856 tower heightened. Sandstone rubble tower, coursed squared sandstone C19 work, with ashlar plinth and dressings; roofs of graduated Lakeland slates with stone gable copings. Tower and 4-bay nave with clasping south aisle and south porch; north aisle and tower choir vestry; 4-bay chancel with north vestry and organ-chamber. Gabled porch has 2-centred-arched shafted surround to wrought-iron gate; flanking buttresses have setbacks and gablets; church door of studded boards with elaborate hinges; lancet windows, paired in clerestory and stepped in east end, have drip moulds with head or ballflower stops; west tower lancet through 2 stages, and proud of second stage. Tower, Norman to nave-roof level, of 3 stages with set-backs; small round-headed stair turret lights in west front; battlemented top stage has paired belfry openings under 2-centred-arched paired drip moulds. 1856 painted clock given by Miss Wilson and G.D. Wooler. Aisle and chancel buttressed; set-back buttresses to tower, angle buttresses to chancel. Overlapping gable copings with elaborate cross finials. Interior: painted plaster with ashlar arcades and dressings; scissor-truss roof on corbelled wall-posts. 4-bay C14 arcades have double- chamfered 2-centred arches on round piers; moulded capitals have band of small dog-tooth moulding; keeled responds. High 2-centred chancel arch of 2 orders on shafts and half-shafts with alternate-block jambs; east window has similar treatment, with clasping bands on shafts, and sill string. Norman west door, removed to north tower wall, has fat roll moulding on re-cut impost string and detached shafts with scallop capitals, recessed in plain round arch; inner arch chamfered. High 2-centred tower arch, with wide chamfer on quirk and half- pyramid stop, has chamfered inner arch on grotesque corbels; stopped drip mould of man's head at left and woman in headdress-at right. Memorials include classical tablet to Rev. Peter Ionn, erected by scholars: he was curate and schoolmaster; trophy of academic and priestly symbols. Classical tablet to Greenwell family by G. Green, Newcastle, c.1839; memorial tablet in tower resited from chancel, to Francis Ainsley nee Gilbert, died 1677, (in Latin). Glass includes north aisle windows by Atkinson of Newcastle; west end of south aisle to John and Jane Proud, died-1859 and 1866, Jacob's ladder by Holiday, of high quality.

Listing NGR: NZ0734737392