Church Of St Botolph

Church of St Botolph

Parish church of St Botolph, dating from the 12th to 15th centuries, with major restoration work undertaken in 1819 and 1908. The building is constructed in coursed limestone rubble and ashlar with lead roofs.

The church comprises a western tower, clerestoried nave, chancel, north aisle and chapel. The three-stage tower was rebuilt in 1908 in 13th-century style, with single lancets to each storey, paired lancets to the belfry stage and a battlemented parapet. The west door is also executed in 13th-century style.

The west wall of the north aisle contains a 15th-century four-centred two-light window. The north wall has a 12th-century chamfered doorway with chamfered imposts. Further east stands a second two-light 15th-century window. The 15th-century nave clerestory comprises four large three-light windows set under four-centred arches with cusping to the window heads beneath continuous hood moulds. Above this runs a castellated parapet with gargoyles. The 15th-century north chapel is of ashlar construction with a plinth, narrow buttresses and battlemented parapet to its separate pitched roof. The north wall contains a small narrow 15th-century doorway in a plain surround and three three-light windows with four-centred arches. The east wall of the chapel displays a large 15th-century five-light window with rectilinear panelled tracery in the upper part. The chancel is also of ashlar, with a 15th-century east window of five lights and arched panelled tracery above. The chancel's south wall matches the elevation of the north chapel, though the doorway here also features decorated spandrels. The coursed limestone rubble south wall of the nave contains two three-light 15th-century windows with cusped lights and four-centred arches, with four large clerestory lights matching those on the north.

Interior: The north arcade, dating to the 13th century, comprises three bays with quatrefoil piers and half-round respond, all filleted. The piers have annular capitals and responds with double-chamfered arches. The 13th-century tower arch is triple-chamfered with square moulded imposts and triple responds. At the east end of the north aisle, a moulded 15th-century four-centred arch leads into the former north chapel, now used as a vestry. To its south, a doorway provides access to a rood staircase. The 13th-century single-chamfered arch has keeled responds and annular capitals. In the north wall of the chancel are two wide 15th-century chamfered arches with an octagonal capital to the dividing pier. The south side of the chancel features a triple-arched sedilia with pendent lozenges between the arches and a 13th-century lobed piscina with hobnail decoration beneath a later ogee arch.

The nave has a 15th-century tie-beam roof with moulded principals and carved bosses. The north aisle has a similar pent roof but with 18th-century reeded plaster decoration to the margins. The early 15th-century chancel and north chapel roofs are consistent with the remainder of the building. A plain piscina stands in the north aisle. The surviving elements of a fine 15th-century chancel screen include stiles and upper tracery with crocketed ogees and panel tracery; the lower parts have been restored.

Furnishings and monuments: The chancel contains a 17th-century chair; all other fittings are 20th century except for the font, which is a 15th-century octagonal bowl and stem with cusped shields to the sides of the bowl. In the north chapel stands the Daubeny tomb of 1370, featuring an alabaster effigy of a knight and lady on an elaborately panelled tomb chest. The knight is rendered in plate armour with his feet resting on a lion, whilst the lady is dressed in a long dress, cloak and head dress with her feet on a dog.