Church Of St Bartholomew

Church of Saint Bartholomew

This parish church comprises a 12th-century chancel and nave, with a south aisle added around 1330-40. The west tower dates from around 1539, with its top stage added or rebuilt in 1769 (datestone) at the expense of Andrew Corbet. A squire's pew was added and the west and east walls of the chancel were refaced or rebuilt in 1778 (datestone) for the rector, William Clarke. The entire church was restored in 1883 at the expense of Sir Vincent R. Corbet, who died in 1891. The building is constructed of dressed red sandstone (12th century) and grey sandstone ashlar, with plain tile roofs. The plan consists of a nave, chancel, south aisle with squire's pew, and west tower.

The tower has three stages, with a double moulded plinth and diagonal west buttresses rising to approximately three-quarters of the tower's height with chamfered offsets. There is a string course to the top stage and a cill string to the belfry, with a moulded cornice and plain parapet. The west face has an inscribed cartouche (illegible at the time of survey in January 1986 except for the date 1769) and corner pinnacles. Each pinnacle has shallow ogee-headed panels with carved flaming urns on pedestals and truncated crocketed caps. These caps were removed after a lightning strike; a pair flanking the war memorial to the west (not included on this list) survive. The stair turret to the north-east has chamfered rectangular openings. The belfry openings are louvred and have two lights with Y-tracery, moulded architraves, and bracketed cills. The second stage west window is 16th century, with three trefoil-headed lights with panelled tracery, moulded reveals, and returned hoodmould. The west doorway has a pair of 19th-century boarded doors with strap hinges and a Tudor arch with broach-stopped chamfered reveals. The spandrels are carved with foliage and shields, there is a moulded square head, and a returned hoodmould with carved Prince of Wales feathers and rose, with carved stops (the left-hand stop is missing).

The nave has a parapeted gable end to the east with moulded kneelers. A central 18th-century buttress with chamfered plinth and two chamfered offsets is flanked by a pair of early 19th-century two-light windows with Y-tracery and double-chamfered reveals. To the left is a blocked 18th-century round-arched window with keystone (partly obscured by the left-hand window). To the right is a 19th-century dressed grey sandstone lean-to incorporating fragments of dressed and carved masonry, with a four-panelled door to the right. Two early 19th-century tablets flank the central nave buttress.

The chancel has a parapeted gable end with moulded kneelers and coping. On the south side, to the right, is a straight-headed window of two trefoil-headed lights with double-chamfered reveals. To the left is a boarded priest's door with chamfered reveals and returned hoodmould with square stop. The north side shows 18th-century refacing or rebuilding, with a single small round-arched window to the left. The east end has two large flanking plain buttresses with chamfered plinths and offsets. The three-light window has intersecting tracery and a hoodmould with inverted bell-type stops; the lower parts of the window are possibly medieval. A datestone in the apex of the gable is inscribed "W:C/Rectr: 1778". An early 19th-century tablet on the north wall commemorates Thomas Ray, who died on 27 October 1823.

The south aisle has a moulded plinth, diagonal buttresses with chamfered offsets and gabled tops and bases, a coved eaves cornice, and parapeted gable ends with coved coping and moulded kneelers. The west gable end has a cross at the apex. The west end has a moulded spherical-triangular window (of Alberbury type, not included on this list) with cusped intersecting tracery. The east end has a plain buttress to the right and a large window of four trefoil-headed lights with cusped flowing tracery, moulded reveals, and returned hoodmould. The squire's pew has a chamfered plinth, parapeted gable end with coved coping and weathered trefoiled kneelers, and an integral diagonal brick corner stack to the right. The three-light south window has intersecting tracery, moulded reveals, and hoodmould with inverted bell-type stops.

Inside, the nave roof is probably 16th century and consists of a four-bay structure with chamfered arch-braced collars with central pendants, V-struts, and two pairs of purlins, the upper set with cusped wind braces. The tower arch is tall and double-chamfered with moulded capitals and bases. A west gallery under the tower has stick balusters. The 14th-century arcade has three bays with quatrefoil-section piers with moulded bases and capitals, double hollow-chamfered arches, and continuous hoodmould. The south aisle roof has four bays with braced collars and two pairs of purlins. In the south aisle there is a moulded trefoiled piscina with shaped bowl and square aumbry, and a blocked door in the south wall. Two steps lead up to the squire's pew, which has a moulded arch dying into responds and hoodmould, returned to the left and with a carved head stop to the right, and a trussed-rafter roof. The chancel arch is continuously double-chamfered. A hagioscope or squint connects the chancel and south aisle. The chancel roof is arch-braced trussed-rafter with collars. Remains of a 17th-century round-arched window in the south wall of the chancel are incorporated in a sedile with a bracket to support widening at the left. Beneath the west tower, the porch has a chamfered ogee-arched doorway to the stair turret.

The chancel was remodelled by Sir Ninian Comper in 1905 in memory of Vincent Stewart Corbet, who died in 1904 aged 13 (his churchyard monument is also listed). The altar has a moulded base and marble top. Behind is panelling with carved uprights depicting squirrels in oak leaves and a battlemented top. The painted wooden reredos is set back in the window with a marble base. It has three bays, with central posts resting on the backs of two alabaster elephants and castles, with carved squirrels on the tops of the shafts. The posts have moulded bases and buttresses. There are cusped spandrels, a vaulted soffit with carved bosses and transverse arches, and cresting to the front. Two small figures of the Annunciation stand free-standing against the glass. A canopy above the reredos has pendants, pierced cusped spandrels, carved angels at the front corners, a frieze, and latticed soffit. The east wall and reveal of the east window have painted (and gold leaf) Morris-type stencilled decoration. The roof has painted chevron decoration.

The pulpit is 17th century, in wood, two panels high, with carved lozenges, carved bands and frieze, and arcaded top. The reader's desk is also 17th century, with a two-panelled front, carved arabesques, guilloche borders and carved frieze, and side panels with lozenges and rosettes. A 17th-century parish chest stands in the chancel. The pews are 19th century, possibly incorporating earlier materials. The stone Gothic font dates from around 1800 and is octagonal with tall trefoiled arcading and a semi-circular niche in each arch; the wooden cover is dated 1918. In the squire's pew there is 19th-century wainscot panelling with quatrefoil frieze, a 19th-century fireplace with cast-iron grate, ceramic-tiled reveals and hearth, and a surround with quatrefoil frieze. Mid-18th-century rails (possibly former communion rails) have turned balusters (grouped in fours at the ends and at the gate), a moulded ramped handrail, and central gate. Two probably early 19th-century benefactors' boards are in the west gallery.

Stained glass includes Comper glass in the east window. Good glass in the east window of the south aisle is dated 1892 and commemorates Vincent Rowland Corbet. Fragments of medieval stained glass are incorporated in the internal west doors and west window. Painted armorial glass in the squire's pew is dated 1790.

A good series of Corbet and other monuments includes, in the south aisle, a chest tomb to Sir Robert Corbet (died 1513) and his wife. It is three bays by six bays with crocketed cinquefoil ogee panels, carved frieze, and two recumbent effigies. A chest tomb to Sir Richard Corbet (died 1567) and his wife has two bays by five bays divided by turned half-balusters. Each bay has a large painted shield resting on an elephant or owl below. The central panel has a child in swaddling clothes, a rose bush with a lily growing out of it, and a panel below with a squirrel and foliage. Two late 17th-century style tablets have Latin inscriptions. The right-hand tablet has a cartouche with flanking drapery, acanthus brackets, two pairs of flanking putti, and a similar cartouche above topped by a flaming urn. The left-hand tablet has a cartouche with two pairs of ravens in flanking foliage, an inverted bell-type bracket below, and a smaller cartouche above topped by an elephant and castle. A tablet dated 1770 commemorates the four sons of Richard Corbet (Andrew, Vincent, Richard and George). In coloured marble, it has a triangular pediment with cartouche and raven in the tympanum, a wreathed flaming urn above, and rests on brackets with husk drops below. The bottom has a frieze, two winged angels, and an inverted bell-style bracket. The tablet to Charlotte Corbet (died 1771) is in coloured marble, with a putto standing by a wreathed urn with drapery and in front of an obelisk. Above is a shield and flanking husk drops, and a heavy cornice with brackets and flanking scrolls. The base has guttae. A large wall tablet commemorates Sir Andrew Corbet (died 1790) with drapery over and an elephant and castle above. The tablet to Elizabeth Mary Baldock (died 1894) is in coloured marbles, with a lugged central panel, winged angel's head at the top, Ionic pilasters, segmental pediment with shell, and brackets at the base with putti.

Monuments in the squire's pew include one to Richard Corbet (died 1691) in the corner, in painted grey stone. It has large fluted Corinthian pilasters, full entablature with pulvinated frieze breaking forward over the columns, and an open scrolled pediment with ravens over the ends and central cartouche. The central moulded Gothic-arched recess has a keystone and imposts and a demi figure of the deceased. The base has large volute brackets beneath the pilasters and a large central winged angel's head. The tablet to Frances Corbet (died 1760) is in painted stone with unfluted Ionic half-columns on pedestals with oval paterae, supporting an entablature breaking forward over the columns with oval paterae, and a large semi-urn above. The base has fluted brackets and a central shield with a raven on a branch.