Church Of St Cuthbert

BEDLINGTON CHURCH LANE NZ 2681 NW (East side) Bedlington

9/53 Church of 18/10/49 St. Cuthbert

GV II*

Parish Church. Nave mid-C12 with C14 south chapel. Chancel rebuilt 1743 and again in mid-C19, west tower 1868, north aisle, vestries and nave windows 1911-12. Nave and chapel squared stone, C19 parts squared tooled stone, 1911-12 work snecked stone; cut dressings. C19 work in Romanesque style, 1911-12 in free C14 style.

South side of nave shows plinth, eaves cornice and 1912 3-light window on each side of chapel; C18 round-arched light to far right, with traces of 4 similar but larger openings above 1912 windows and chapel roof. Chapel has moulded plinth and vertical-panelled door in double-chamfered arch with hoodmould, early C20 3-light window on right and low-pitched coped gable with finial cross. Circular clerestorey with cusped mouchettes, on north of nave. West tower of 2 tall stages with south-west stair turret; round-arched west window, 2-light bell openings and battlemented parapet. North aisle has stepped buttress bay divisions, hollow-chamfered north door, 2-light windows on north and east, 4-light west window. Re-set slab by west window, 'WATSON'S WAKE 1669' commemorates fatal fall from tower of local somnambulist. 3-bay chancel has plinth and stepped buttresses; priest's door and 2 arched windows on south and eastern triplet, with carved capitals to jamb shafts and billet hoodmoulds. Mural monument on east of vestry to Stephen, son of Henry Earl of Derby, 1795.

Interior: Chancel arch on semicircular shafts with carved impost band; arch taken down and re-set in 4-centred form, perhaps in C15, has inner order with roll flanked by hollows and outer order of carved voussoirs. Trefoil-headed squint on north of arch and moulded ogee niche on south. 5-bay chamfered arcade on octagonal piers. Pointed tower arch. South chapel has barrel vault and recess on west with chamfered segmental arch; doorway into nave has chamfered round arch and taller roll-moulded rear arch. Nave has boarded ceiling on tie-beam trusses with pierced panelling,alternately springing from wall-posts with pierced arch braces. Scissor-brace roof to aisle. Chancel roof has round-arched stone trusses with chevron ornament.

Carved C19 font. 7 medieval cross slabs. Romanesque carving of 2 figures, at time of survey removed from south wall for conservation. Group of late Georgian marble tablets in chancel. Burdon memorial window at west end of aisle with Christ in Majesty, saints, patriarchs and masonic symbols; good War Memorial window in south chapel; St. Cuthbert window in nave. Parish chest in aisle.

Listing NGR: NZ2605081813