Church Of St Helen

Church of St Helen, Brant Broughton and Stragglethorpe

Parish church of 11th, 13th, late 14th and early 16th century date, with work of 1812 and substantial restoration and alteration in 1873–76 by the architect G F Bodley for Canon Frederick Sutton. The early 19th-century chancel was rebuilt and a vestry and north chapel added, all executed in late decorated style.

The church comprises a west steeple and nave with aisles and porches, chancel with north chapel and vestry. It is constructed in limestone ashlar with lead roofs. Angle gabled buttresses with set-offs and a heavily moulded plinth run throughout. The nave and aisles have battlements decorated with shields; the chancel has a quatrefoil carved parapet. All features are topped with crocketed pinnacles and gargoyles. All window openings carry hood moulds with head label stops.

The tower rises to 198 feet in height. Its first stage contains a 3-light window with geometric tracery facing west. The second stage has a single lancet on each face. The third stage displays deeply recessed 2-light bell openings with reticulated tracery. A clock was added in 1881 by William Potts of Leeds. Above these stages runs a fleuron frieze with gargoyles, topped by alternating stages of lucarnes.

The west aisle windows are 2-light with plate tracery. The early 16th-century clerestory extends for 5 bays with a moulded hood band, featuring 3-light cusped panel tracery windows set in 4-centred arched cavetto chamfered surrounds. The late 14th-century north aisle comprises 4 bays with three 3-light ornate cusped panel tracery windows in cavetto chamfered surrounds with fleuron decoration. The buttresses here contain niches.

The gabled porch on the north has an openwork quatrefoil parapet and head frieze, with a niche above a columned arch recessed within a chamfered surround. Inside, it features stone benches and a 2-bay sexpartite vault supported on leaf brackets with carved bosses. The door is set within a double cusp chamfered pointed arch.

The 2-bay north chapel contains three 3-light windows, copies of those in the north aisle. The chancel's east window is 5-light with reticulated tracery; the three south windows are 4-light with flowing tracery. The 4-bay south aisle has three windows similar to those in the north aisle, though set here under segment arches. The south porch is similarly detailed but plainer in execution.

The interior contains 3-bay nave arcades with double chamfered arches on tall octagonal piers and responds, which have moulded capitals and bases. The roof line of the earlier nave remains visible above the tall tower arch. Both the tower arch and chancel arch have compound piers.

The early 16th-century angel nave roof has been carefully restored and is elaborately painted. An ornate 15th-century octagonal font with an elaborate cover by T Garner (1889) stands in the church. The choirstalls, pulpit and chancel screen are by Bodley, dating to 1890, with a roof added in 1919.

The chancel features a wood and plaster lierne vault, elaborately painted. An elaborate marble reredos incorporates a late 15th-century German 'Ascension'. A piscina and triple arched sedilia are present.

The organ was designed by Canon Sutton with a cover by Bodley of 1906. Stained glass throughout was designed by Canon Sutton, who also designed the brass candlesticks and candelabra, except for the east windows which are by Burlison and Grylls.

A reconstructed monument to the Danbrey family in the north chapel takes the form of a tomb chest with shields set in quatrefoils.