Church Of St Cuthbert

NORHAM CHURCH LANE NT 8947 12/82 Church of 22.12.69 St. Cuthbert

GV I

Parish church. Later C12, probably by Richard of Wolviston for Bishop Puiset. East bay of chancel added early C14. Tower 1837, south porch and aisle 1846, by I. Bonomi. North aisle and transept 1852, by D. Gray. Old parts squared stone, later parts dressed stone with ashlar dressings. Aisles have Welsh slate roofs, other roofs not visible.

West tower, nave with aisle and south porch, north transept, chancel with north vestry.

Broad rectangular west tower with large 2-light round-headed bell openings divided by colonnettes with waterleaf capitals. 6-bay nave. To left gabled south porch with Romanesque-style doorway: 2 orders of columns with waterleaf capitals, chevron-moulded arch. Windows have similar detail.

6-bay chancel. Bays one to fiveare genuine Romanesque of the highest quality. Finely-moulded plinth, the bays -divided by very flat buttresses; Plain round- headed priest's door in 3rd bay. Above, set high in the wall, 5 round-headed windows, shafted with waterleaf capitals. The arches are elaborately moulded with enriched chevrons set at right-angles to the wall, and an outer flat chevron frieze which continues across the buttresses. Corbel table with moulded corbels. Right bay has renewed Decorated 2-light window. Plain parapet. Renewed 5-light Decorated east window.

North wall of chancel has 5 plainer Romanesque windows. On north aisle wall 2 plaques recording dates of restorations, architects, church wardens etc.

Interior: 5-bay south arcade (a painting of before the tower was built shows 7 bays); round pierswith octagonal abaci, waterleaf capitals and finely- moulded arches, a chevron frieze above. The north arcade is of 1852 but one of the bases and the semicircular east respond are original. Splendid chancel arch with 3 orders of columns, waterleaf capitals and roll-moulded arches.

In the chancel a large Decorated tomb recess with open-traceried gable, containing the effigy of a knight. C14 piscina. Chancel north wall has large recumbent effigy of Rev. Gilly in a Romanesque-style recess, 1855 by J.G. Lough. Wall tablets to William Alder, 1800, and Mary Ord, 1810, both by J. Jobling. Reading desk and pulpit brought from Durham Cathedral in 1840 by the Rev. Gilly. They are mid-C17 in the Cosin style with combined Gothic and Renaissance motifs. Two flower stands of similar style and period, acquired mid C20: Also 2 clergy stalls in the chancel re-made in the C19 but incorporating earlier C17 carving. In the tower arch an C18 organ case. In the tower a large and very fine carved wood Royal Arms of Charles II. In the north aisle a composite pillar made up of many Anglo-Saxon cross fragments.

South aisle, wall monument to Jane, Lady Blake, 1827, a figure weeping on a sarcophagus.

Source: North Durham: Raines: London, 1852.

Listing NGR: NT8968447411