Church Of St James

HAMSTERLEY HAMSTERLEY NZ13SW 11/72 (inset) Church of St. James 14.9.66 GV I

Parish church. Mostly C13, incorporating C12 door; slightly later north transept; C19 alterations (fragments in porch dated 1883) including restoration of roof; panel over door 'Restored in 60th year. Rev. J.G. Milner 1884'.

Mixed stone rubble, much of it coarse sandstone, with gritstone quoins, ashlar dressings, and plinth to transepts; Welsh slate roof with stone gable copings. Cruciform with south porch. Gabled porch has open wide-chamfered pointed arch on moulded imposts and irregular-block jambs. Early boarded inner door, with strap hinges, in wide-chamfered round-headed surround under dripmould continuous with impost blocks; half-pyramid chamfer stops. Sundial dated 1803, and panel referring to 1884 restoration, in porch gable peak. Small cross- incised grave cover as quoin in porch and 2 others as side bench; 2 others, edges to outside, in chancel quoins. Priest's door in east wall of south transept with incised grave slab as lintel. Protruding from west wall of south transept a raised incised cross grave cover and a female effigy. Lancets, partly restored, including 3 stepped east lights, except for large pointed- arched north transept window of 3 elongated cusped lancets under head- stopped dripmould, 3-light late C19 window in south nave, and single rectangular chamfered west light under corbelled embattled bellcote.

Interior: limewashed plaster-with ashlar dressings; arch-braced chancel roof on corbelled wall posts; nave and transepts have stone-corbelled tie beams with 4 posts to collar. 2-centred chancel arch on nutmeg-moulded imposts, and wide 2-centred transept arches, all chamfered, the north arch renewed. Internal quoins at north-east angle of nave. Chancel has blocked north window with trefoil head; similar heads to south transept windows. Trefoil-headed piscina with nail-head moulding, and fluted bowl; similar modern piscina in transept; aumbries in chancel and south transept. Several medieval incised grave covers set in wall plaster. Bowl font an roll-moulded pedestal. East window by L.C. Evetts. Part of box pew surviving in north transept. Gothic- style pulpit, c. 1880, with panels formed by Minton tiles, signed Moyr Smith, showing scenes from Bible and from Pilgrims Progress. Funeral hatchment in nave.

Listing NGR: NZ1272930897