Church Of St Helen

SK 87 SE THORNEY TOP ROAD (east side)

2/106 Church of St.Helen

16.1.67

G.V. II*

Parish Church, 1850, by Cottingham. Thick-thin coursed ashlar, stone slab roof, ashlar carving and dressings, plinth, grotesque corbel table, 3 coped gables, grotesque scrolled brackets above buttresses. Nave, chancel, vestry, bellcote, sanctus bellcote. West end has central round arched doorway, 3 orders, elaborately decorated, containing diagonal matchboarded door; above 3 double rebated round headed windows; above again, wheel window flanked by single recessed blank panels; above again, decorated bellcote, 2 stages, 2 round arched openings, chequerwork coped gable, and cross. Nave, 3 bays, 4 buttresses, 2 string courses, parapet; 3 paired round headed windows on either side. Vestry 1 bay, coped gable, single projecting band, 2 corner buttresses, single round headed window to north. Sanctus bellcote has 4 round headed openings, 2 blind niches containing figures, pyramidal roof with lucarnes iron cross. Chancel, 2 bays, 2 buttresses, has to north single round headed window with elaborate reveal; to south, priest's door, 2 orders, with projecting hood, containing plank door with sanctuary ring; to east, 3 round headed openings with chamfered hood moulds; above, circular window with cogged reveal. Aisleless nave with projecting band, splayed window reveals with zigzag moulding, deep billet moulded wall plate. Elaborate mask corbels supporting arched brackets to hammer beam roof, with further curved brackets to collars. Principal timbers with nail head ornament; nail head decorated pierced spandrels; pegged construction. Contemporary font, circular bowl on circular stem with blind arcading; remains of fine C12 font on south side. Elaborate square stone pulpit on polished granite shaft with 4 subsidiary shafts, reached by stairs through chancel arch respond. Matching lectern in similar style on square moulded base of 3 stages. Norman-style chancel arch, 2 orders with hoodmould, clustered shaft responds and scallop capitals. Chancel has to north, moulded doorway to pulpit stairs, another similar opening to vestry; corbelled table in sanctuary, gabled aumbry in round headed opening; to south, moulded round headed piscina, elaborate double-columned triple sedilia; roll moulded opening to priest's door. Roof of same construction as nave. Fittings comprise simple oak pews and choir stalls with triple roll moulded ends; 2 C19 hatchments; C20 wall memorial tablet.

Listing NGR: SK8592472843