Church Of St Cuthbert

BLYTH PLESSEY ROAD NZ 3181 SE (South side) 12/41 Church of St. Cuthbert 28.7.50 GV II* Parish church, 1884-93 by W.S. Hicks. Snecked tooled stone with ashlar dressings; except for porch, oak on stone base. Lakeland slate roof. Cruciform plan with western porch to narthex; vestries, broad unaisled nave, central tower and small sanctuary. Free C14 style. Porch in form of lych gate in timber-framed C15 style, into flat-roofed narthex with diagonal buttresses and moulded parapet. Slightly narrower 4-bay nave with crocketed pinnacles flanking 4-light west window above narthex roof. Side walls with stepped buttresses and 2- or 3-light windows. Transepts each have angle buttresses, doors on west and two 2-light windows in each end. Tower with big diagonal buttresses at western angles and octagonal south-east stair turret; 2-light bell openings and string with gargoyles below stepped embattled parapet. Sanctuary with setback buttresses, 5-light east window and 2-light window on each side wall. Gables with moulded coping; finial crosses on east and west ends. Patterned rainwater heads dated 1884.

Interior: Plastered, except for crossing and sanctuary with alternating dressings of pink and buff stone. Crossing has semi-octagonal piers and capitals differing in detail; smaller arches set obliquely between nave and transepts. Nave has panelled barrel roof on carved embattled wall-plate with cusped panels, and coved eaves; wainscoting also panelled and embattled. West door and window in tall double-chamfered arch. Tower has wood lierne vault with carved bosses. Sanctuary has panelled barrel roof with bosses and richly- carved embattled wall-plate; piscina, sedilia, panelled walls. Carved stone font with conical cover. Good late C19 glass in nave, some by Percy Bacon Bros. of London. In narthex is entrance lobby with coffered ceiling.

Listing NGR: NZ3178281469