Church Of St Margaret

The Church of St Margaret is a parish church situated in Welsh Bicknor. The site has ancient origins, with the church itself largely rebuilt between 1858 and 1859 by T Henry Rushforth of London, commissioned by the rector Stephen Allaway. The building is constructed of coursed and squared sandstone rubble with ashlar dressings, and features marble enrichments internally. The roof is tiled, with a stone roof to the porch.

The church comprises a west porch, a south-west tower, a nave, a chancel, and a north vestry. It is designed in an imaginative Norman and Early English style, incorporating "muscular" effects inspired by the work of George Street.

The west gabled porch has a polychrome pointed arched doorway of three orders, containing engaged shafts with stiff-leaf capitals and a niche with an inset figure in the gable. The square-plan tower has a spurred base and three stages, with two string courses, a stiff-leaf decorated corbel table, elongated animal forms at the corners, a short broached spire, and windows featuring single plain lights. The tower’s first stage has two plain single light windows; the second has a semi-circular headed single light window with engaged shafts and stiff-leaf capitals to responds; and the bell stage displays arcading in a similar style. The nave has three bays, with Norman style arches at the west end, each containing four semi-circular headed single light windows with chevron ornament. A circular window with similar chevron ornament is located in the gable. There is one two-light and one single light window to the south side, and a similar two-light window to the two-bay chancel, with a doorway further east.

Inside, the church features a king post roof supported by head-shaped corbels. A triforium arcade is situated at the west end. A solid central pier, featuring an elaborate marble capital with heads and foliage, supports a two-bay arcade of the south aisle. The chancel arch is decorated with bird motifs. Fittings include a pulpit, entered from the vestry with polychrome marble insets and heads, and a font with similar enrichments. A late 14th century effigy, originally in a recess to the east wall of the south aisle (resited from an earlier church), depicts a lady largely defaced, with angels supporting a cushion and her feet resting on an animal, exhibiting angular folds characteristic of the Westminster and Wells style. This is thought to be Lady Margaret Montague, who may have been nurse to the infant Henry V. Stained glass windows in the west wall depict single biblical figures, while the east window features excellent stained glass likely by Clayton and Bell. The church represents an interesting High Victorian design, combining constructional polychromy with high-quality idealizing details, particularly noticeable inside.