Church Of St. Stephen

Church of St. Stephen

Parish church. Built circa 1200, early 13th century, late 13th century, 14th century, 15th century, with restoration in 1821. Constructed of coursed limestone rubble with ashlar dressings, with Collyweston slate, slate and lead roofs. Stone coped gables. The building comprises a western tower, clerestoried nave, aisles, chancel and south porch.

The three-stage 13th-century tower is built of coursed limestone rubble with clasping corner buttresses to the ground stage only. It has two chamfered string courses and carries a broach spire rising from a human head corbel table. The spire has two sets of lucarnes in the four principal directions. The lower lucarnes are of two lights with trefoil heads to the lights and quatrefoils over. The upper lucarnes are of two pointed lights. The tower belfry stage has two-light bell openings with an octagonal central shaft moulded capital, pointed heads to the lights, and hood mould. The west window is a lancet with hood mould, with a smaller similar window above.

The north aisle has two pointed lights to the west end, with slate roof. In its north wall is a blocked reset 12th-century arch with moulded hood and imposts, and a 14th-century three-light cusped ogee-headed window with cambered arch. The nave roof is of lead with a clerestory of three paired 14th-century cusped lights. In the east wall of the aisle is a late 13th-century two-light plate traceried window with quatrefoil.

In the north wall of the chancel is a 15th-century window of three lights with heavy panel tracery. The east wall of the chancel has a similar window and above it a plaque recording the restoration of the chancel in 1821. The south wall has a central pointed doorway with hobnail imposts and moulded hood, flanked by two late 14th-century two-light windows with cusped heads to the lights and low four-centred heads.

In the east wall of the ashlar south aisle is a three-light 15th-century window with panel tracery. The south wall has two three-light 14th-century windows with cusped ogee heads and cambered heads. In the west wall is a single 14th-century light with cusped head and moulded hood.

The gabled 14th-century ashlar porch has a double chamfered outer arch with moulded imposts and above it a trefoil niche. Side benches are present. The fine inner doorway has a deeply recessed continuously moulded surround with four-centred arched head and embattled stops to the moulded hood. The original planked door retains contemporary strap hinges and a pierced iron plate for a closing ring, now removed.

Interior

The interior has a three-bay nave with arcades of circa 1200, featuring double chamfered rounded arches, chamfered hoods with beast and human head stops. The piers are circular with abaci, some decorated with nail head decoration, with tapering responds to the east. An early 13th-century pointed and double chamfered tower arch also has tapering responds. Above it is an off-centre pointed single chamfered doorway, and the earlier nave roof pitch is visible above.

The roof is a 14th-century tie beam roof with arched braces to wall posts and king posts. In the south aisle is a 14th-century cusped ogee piscina and by the door a similar hacked back stoup.

The chancel arch is a steeply pointed double chamfered early 13th-century work with half-rounded shafts to reveals and octagonal imposts. Above the chancel arch is a painted 15th-century doom depicting the dead rising from their graves, attended by angels and demons. In the chancel is a late 13th-century pointed-headed piscina with moulded hood and stops.

A 13th-century tub font with moulded octagonal top and shaft is present. The top has a form of billet moulding.

Fittings include late 17th-century turned baluster altar rails and a panelled pulpit. Eighteenth-century panel-backed choir stalls and two 14th-century oak pews with plain ends and back rests are present; all other fittings are 19th-century.

Monuments include a 14th-century moulded and pointed tomb recess in the north aisle north wall, now containing a coped slab with stepped base cross fleury and large foliate leaves. On the chancel north wall is a marble wall plaque in the form of an obelisk by Bingham of Peterborough, commemorating Elizabeth Clarke who died in 1792.