Church Of St Helen

GAYTON LE WOLD BISCATHORPE TF 28 SW 9/24 Church of St. Helen 9.3.67 II*

Parish church. 1847 by W. A. Nicholson of Lincoln in a fanciful Gothic style. Lined stucco, ashlar dressings, slate roofs. Western tower, nave and chancel. The 2 stage tower has octagonal belfry and spire. The tower has moulded plinth, gabled, stepped, set back buttresses terminating in an embattled and 8 pinnacled parapet. The belfry has 8 trefoil headed lights separated by narrow buttresses. Above is a further embattled and 8 pinnacled parapet with a short recessed panelled and ribbed spire. In the south and north walls to upper stage of tower are single lancets. The west door has traceried panels and is set in a continuous deeply concave moulded surround. Above is a quatrefoil light in a circular moulded frame. The side walls to the nave have set back and mid wall buttresses gabled and decorated with grotesque heads. There is a parapet with trefoil piercing surmounted by angle and mid wall pinnacles. To both sides are 2 pairs of trefoil headed windows. The chancel has a parapet with pierced zigzag motif filled with trilobes. The east window is of 3 cusped headed lights with panel tracery. All windows have concave moulded hoods and portrait human head label stops. Interior. The pointed tower and chancel arches have angle shafts, moulded heads and hoods and floriate label stops. Rear arches to windows are all hooded with floriate stops. The east window has C19 stained glass with a reused centre piece of The Deposition. The ceilings are in timber ribbed panels with plaster bosses. All fittings are C19 and C20 including handsome poppy head benches, panelled pulpit and the small salt glazed stoneware Gothic style font inscribed St. Mary Mag. Oxon. This stands on a C20 base which matches the unfortunate altar. The Church stands in Biscathorpe Park beside the site of the deserted medieval village.

Listing NGR: TF2299284876