Church Of St Bartholomew

SD 64 SW CHIPPING TALBOT STREET

4/79 Church of St. Bartholomew 13.2.67

GV II*

Church, early C16th with earlier remains, restored 1872. Sandstone rubble now unsympathetically pointed, with stone slate roof. Comprises a west tower, nave, lower chancel, north aisle under a pitched roof, south aisle and south porch. The 3-stage tower has diagonal buttresses and an embattled parapet with corner pinnacles. The west doorway has moulded jambs and 2-centred head. Above is the window of 3 trefoiled lights with panel tracery and hood mould. The belfry openings are each of 2 cusped lights. The north and south aisle windows are restored, with straight heads and cusped lights. The south porch was rebuilt in 1872 and has an outer doorway with 4-centred head. A chamfered priest's door to the chancel has a 4-centred head. The dormer on the south side of the nave was rebuilt in 1873 and has a 5-light mullioned window and a timber gable. The east window has an elliptical head and 5 cusped lights with renewed mullions.

Interior. The nave and chancel are undivided. The north and south arcades have 3 bays each to the nave and 2 to the chancel. Both have octagonal piers and arches of 2 chamfered orders, but those to the north are lower and more pointed. Some of the capitals to the north are carved. The west respond has 2 women's faces with headgear said to be C14th (Pevsner). The 1st pier from the west has various devices carved on its capital, including y-tracery on its side and a quatrefoil. The 2nd pier has 5 grotesque faces on its west side, including one of an animal. In the south wall of the chancel is a C13th piscina with trefoiled head, edge-roll moulding and nail-head ornament, now lacking its bowl. The nave, chancel and north aisle roofs are all C19th with arch-braced collars and short king posts. The south aisle roof is possibly C16th with moulded purlins, principal rafters and wall plate. The font, at the west end of the south aisle, is said to be of 1520 (church guide). It is of sandstone and octagonal, with a shield on each of the sides of the bowl, one with 'IB' for Bradley of Bradley Hall, and some of the others with instruments of the Passion. On the base are inverted letters said to stand for Ave Maria Gratia Dominus Tecum.

Listing NGR: SD6221043323