Church Of St Andrew

The Church of St Andrew at Eakring is a parish church of the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, substantially restored and re-seated in 1880–81 by the architect St. Aubyn. The building is constructed of snecked dressed stone with ashlar dressings, beneath a gabled gambrel plain tile roof with coped gables capped by crosses. It comprises a west tower, nave, north porch, north transept, chancel and south porch, all set on a chamfered plinth with coved eaves.

The west tower is a substantial structure of two phases, incorporating work from the 13th century and the 15th century. Rising to three stages, it features two string courses, moulded eaves with the remains of gargoyles, a crenellated parapet and four crocketed pinnacles. The first stage contains two plain buttresses with single setoff on the south-east face, engaged with the nave. The west side displays a chamfered 13th-century doorway with hood mould and stops, above which are the remains of a figure carving and a chamfered single lancet with trefoil head and hood mould. The north side has a plain buttress with single setoff to the east. The second stage is lit by four restored double lancets with cusped ogee heads. The third stage has four double lancet louvred openings, that to the west featuring cusped round heads and a quatrefoil in circle. Clock faces are positioned to the north, south and east.

The nave is of late 13th-century date, comprising four bays. The north side features a single buttress with three setoffs to the west, followed by three restored double lancets of differing patterns, each with trefoil heads, chamfered reveals and hood moulds. The south side is similar, with an identical buttress and three windows of the same character, with a reset mask stop between the eastern pair.

The north porch is a restored structure with a chamfered pointed north doorway. Its interior retains stone benches and a 19th-century moulded collar purlin roof with arch braces. The west side contains two reset stone lozenges displaying the Arms of Elizabeth I, accompanied by an explanatory brass. The inner north door has a chamfered elliptical head, ashlar quoins and a mutilated lintel.

The north transept is a 19th-century addition of a single bay executed in the late 13th-century style. It features a moulded pointed doorway with hood mould to the west, and a triple lancet window to the north gable with trefoil heads and geometrical tracery, though marred by an intrusive circle motif.

The chancel dates to the early 14th century and is buttressed to the east by two diagonal buttresses with three setoffs. The north side contains a 19th-century lancet in 13th-century style with trefoil head. The east end is lit by a magnificent quadruple lancet of around 1300, featuring trefoil heads and Y tracery, with large trefoil lights to each side, staff-moulded mullions and a reveal with hood mould and stops. The south side has two restored single lancets of circa 1300, with coved and rebated reveals.

The south porch dates to the 14th century and has been restored. It is defined by a double chamfered and rebated south doorway with half-round responds carrying moulded capitals and bases. The interior contains stone benches and a roof similar to that in the north porch. The inner south door has plain quoins and a restored rendered segmental head. Both the north and south porches are equipped with pairs of wrought iron spearheaded gates of 19th-century date.

The exterior is notable for five unusual 19th-century shoescrapers with hand rails positioned outside the building. The aisleless nave contains a chamfered doorway to the east with hood mould, and is spanned by a 19th-century principal rafter roof with moulded corbels and large arch braces. The tower arch is a 13th-century feature, double chamfered and rebated, with half-round responds bearing small moulded bases and capitals. The tower chamber retains a west window containing 19th-century stained glass.

The chancel arch is a 19th-century insertion in 13th-century style, double chamfered and rebated with hood mould and uncarved stops. The chancel contains a five-bay traceried panelled oak screen in Perpendicular style, with a central cross and a commemorative brass dated 1913. The north side of the chancel has a chamfered opening with a heavy chamfered timber lintel and struts on moulded corbels housing the organ. The north side has a single stained-glass window and the south side two, all by Alexander Gibbs of London, circa 1880, dedicated to William Mompesson. The east end features a keeled sill band and a panelled, carved and crested oak reredos by C. H. Bond, Rector 1915–36, with an east window containing stained glass dated 1878. The south side has a carved and panelled seat in a window recess, also by C. H. Bond. The chancel is covered by an unusual 19th-century principal rafter roof featuring large arch braces to collars and inverted arch braces above them, together with large scissor-type wind braces.

The interior fittings are of considerable importance. The ashlar font, dated 1674, stands on an octagonal plinth, base and stem, with a coved octagonal bowl, and carries a 19th-century cover. A panelled and chip-carved octagonal pulpit of approximately 1674 rises from an octagonal ashlar base, its back panel displaying Renaissance Revival carving with a carved round-headed opening. Above it is a matching carved octagonal sounding board decorated with carved panels featuring half-round cutouts, multiple ball drops, a reeded frieze and dentillated cornice. A timber column poor box with moulded base, chamfered stem and iron fittings, its panelled front inscribed "Remember the poor 1718", stands nearby; a 19th-century iron-bound poor box also survives on a shaped bracket.

Four panelled oak benches with shaped ends are of early 18th-century date, whilst chamfered and moulded oak benches were supplied in 1880 as part of the restoration programme. An early 19th-century stool with four turned legs, two shaped traceried panelled clergy desks, and four panelled oak stalls of late 19th-century date comprise further seating elements. A double-sided oak lectern of late 19th-century date features a bracketed cross foot and carved square stem.

Commemorative boards document the Rectors of the church and the 1880 re-seating; a brass records the fitting of the clock in 1887. Monuments include a decayed early 18th-century sandstone and slate wall memorial crudely repainted in the 20th century, with a panel in moulded frame, apron with winged skull, flanking floral drops with cherub heads, cornice and an Achievement of Arms with floral swags, commemorating Rowland, Margaret and John Dand. A marble and slate tablet dates to 1856. A war memorial brass is dated 1918, with additional brasses from 1670, 1708, circa 1880 and 1937.