Church Of Saint Denys

Church of Saint Denys

This parish church at North Killingholme is a substantial building of several periods, with a 12th-century tower arch, 13th-century chancel, 14th-century nave arcades and aisles, and a 15th-century upper stage to the tower. The clerestory and windows to the south aisle date from the 16th to 17th centuries. The church has undergone major restorations in the 18th century, and again in 1847, 1868, 1889, 1910, and 1926, which included roofing the nave and chancel, re-flooring, raising the chancel, and installing a new chancel arch.

The building is constructed of ironstone and limestone ashlar for the tower, which is partly rendered. The aisles are built of squared ironstone and limestone rubble with brick, and have ashlar dressings. The south aisle has a rendered upper section, while the north aisle has brick buttresses. The nave clerestory is pebbledashed. The chancel is built of chalk, flint and limestone rubble with ironstone and limestone ashlar dressings and a rock-faced ashlar upper section. The porch is of brick, rubble and ashlar. All roofs are of slate.

The plan comprises a west tower, a 4-bay aisled nave with a south porch, and a 3-bay chancel.

The 3-stage tower has a moulded plinth and diagonal buttresses with set-offs and moulded string courses. The first stage contains a pointed 2-light traceried west window and a stair lighting slit to the south. The second stage has a slit window to the south and clockfaces to the south and west. The stepped-in third stage features pointed 2-light traceried belfry openings with hoodmoulds and headstops. A moulded cornice runs around the building, with a coped parapet featuring gargoyles and crocketed angle pinnacles.

The south aisle has stone quoins, one of which to the west is incised with a sundial. A chamfered plinth and an eastern buttress are present. The windows comprise a square-leaded 2-light trefoiled window, two square-headed 2-light windows with plain chamfered mullions, and a segmental arched 3-light trefoiled east window.

The north aisle has a chamfered plinth, quoins, and a cill band. A pointed hollow-chamfered door with hoodmould opens here. The windows include two square-headed 3-light windows and a single 2-light trefoiled window with 19th-century restored tracery, a pointed 4-light east window with reticulated tracery, hoodmould and headstops, and a pointed 3-light west window with intersecting tracery. Carved head corbels and shields ornament the angles.

The nave is lit by segmental-pointed 3-light clerestory windows with chamfered mullions in hollow-chamfered reveals.

The chancel has a moulded plinth, quoins and a cill band to its east end. The south side features a round-arched chamfered door with hoodmould, a pointed 3-light window with intersecting tracery, hoodmould and headstops, and a pointed 2-light window with geometric tracery and hoodmould; both are largely restored. Two narrow east lancets also light this side.

The south porch is built of brick to its upper section, probably 15th to 16th century. An 18th-century round-headed brick outer arch sits beneath a restored pedimented gable. The interior contains stone benches and a pointed moulded inner arch with a restored oak door.

The interior contains a wide Romanesque tower arch of three orders, with shafts bearing scalloped capitals, square abaci and roll mouldings. The line of an earlier nave gable is visible above. The nave arcades comprise pointed double-chamfered arches on octagonal piers and responds with plain moulded capitals and bases; traces of red paint survive on the piers. A segmental-pointed stoup with a mutilated bowl stands beside the north aisle door. The nave has a chamfered square-headed former rood-loft doorway. A 19th-century pointed double-chamfered chancel arch includes a squint to the north side. The through-purlin aisle roofs date probably to the 18th century or earlier.

A 13th-century font with a cylindrical bowl on clustered ringed shafts and a round base is preserved within the church.