Church Of St Gregory

Church of St Gregory

A church of Anglo-Danish origins with significant late 12th-century, 14th-century and 15th-century work, together with 17th and 18th-century alterations and 19th-century restoration. Built of limestone ashlar and squared, coursed limestone under stone slate roofs.

The church comprises a chancel with north vestry, a nave with north and south aisles, a north porch, and a west tower. The chancel, dating to the 14th century, spans 3 bays and features a moulded plinth and offset buttresses with small gables. A moulded string course runs across, with coped gables to the chancel and 15th-century vestry. An ashlar polygonal stack rises at their joint. The restored 14th-century five-light east window displays geometrical tracery and a hollow-chamfered surround with hood mould and labels. Above sits a small rectangular double-chamfered light. To the south is a plank priest's door with a part-restored moulded surround and hood mould. To the north and south are two and three 14th-century windows of two lights with single quatrefoils and hollow-chamfered surrounds. A further blocked 14th-century window of a single cusped light lies to the south. North of the vestry stands a 15th-century doorway with tracery above, alongside a two-light square-headed window with chamfered surround, hood mould and labels to the left. To the east is a three-light square-headed window with each light containing three cusped round heads, hollow-chamfered surround and hood mould with inverse labels. A simple later square-headed doorway stands to the west.

The nave is of 3 bays with offset buttresses, moulded plinth, moulded eaves cornice and coped parapets. The 15th-century north porch has a moulded plinth, offset diagonal buttresses and a moulded coped parapet. Its doorway features a pointed arch with many-moulded surround, the hollow moulding decorated with fleuron work and a winged angel at the apex. To the east is a three-light square-headed window with ovolo-moulded mullions to the centre and cusped spandrels flanking the central light. To the west is a two-light cusped square-headed window. Both windows have hood moulds with labels. Above the doorway is a worn niche with a small cusped two-light window serving the parvise. The porch roof inside features moulded beams with a carved wood Tudor rose boss to the centre and half-bosses to the north and south. The original plank door survives within a double-chamfered surround, the inner hollow chamfer of the arch decorated with Tudor roses.

The aisles date to the mid-14th century. The south aisle retains a reset 12th-century doorway with shaft and stiff-leaf capital and lozenge-moulded arch. To its left is a two-light cusped window with single quatrefoil and hollow-moulded surround. The north aisle contains a three-light window to the centre and a three-light window to the east and left, each central light cusped and rising to the apex with shorter flanking lights bearing trefoils above. The south aisle holds a three-light cusped window with geometrical tracery to the right. To the west of both aisles are three-light cusped windows with quatrefoils. To the right of the north aisle is a two-light window with Y-tracery. All windows carry hood moulds and labels. Above the reset 12th-century door on the south aisle is a sundial. The clerestory comprises 5 three-light square-headed windows with cusped lights, hood moulds and labels to the north and south.

The 14th-century tower rises in 4 stages with offset buttresses reaching to the top, moulded plinth, stage bands and a quatrefoil parapet topped by finials at each corner. To the west of the first stage is a 14th-century two-light window with geometrical tracery, hood mould and labels. Above, at the second stage, single cusped lights face each direction. The bell stage contains four two-light cusped windows with stone slate louvres, hood moulds and labels. The 15th-century octagonal spire features 2 moulded string courses and 2 tiers of lucarnes. A stair turret with slits runs from the first to the third stage. A clock occupies the west face.

Interior features include 15th-century recesses to the north and south of the chancel, and a chamfered vestry doorway to the north. North of the vestry sits a now-blocked two-light cusped window with single quatrefoil. Flanking the east window are two ogee-headed recesses with many-moulded surrounds. The east window itself has a shafted surround with foliage capitals, a chamfered arch and hood mould with labels. The string course ramps over the windows and corresponds to the external string course. A double-chamfered chancel arch separates the chancel from the nave.

The nave arcade of 3.5 bays represents the width of the original 11th-century church. Above the arcade remain evidence of splayed Anglo-Danish windows and contemporary double-splayed doorways that once led to a west gallery. The arcade itself was cut into the church in the mid-12th century and comprises round piers with eastern responds, each bearing many-scalloped capitals on square abaci. The arches are painted. To the north-east is a wood doorway that would have led onto the rood loft. The north arcade carries two carved corbels supporting hood moulds, whilst the south arcade carries one. A cusped ogee piscina occupies the north wall. Medieval wall painting survives on the west wall.

The south aisle contains a 15th-century chamfered doorway to the west of the main door, retaining its original 15th-century door with traceried head, and a 15th-century recess towards the east. The tower arch has single-chamfered jambs with a triple-chamfered painted arch. Four stone steps lead into the tower, which has a chamfered doorway in its west wall.

The roofs are largely 15th-century and restored in the 19th century. The nave roof features moulded tie beams resting upon grotesque corbels. The aisle roofs, also 15th-century, have moulded tie beams, those to the south resting on carved wood corbels. The chancel roof is 19th-century. A 15th-century octagonal font with flat traceried panels sits upon an octagonal base of 2 steps and retains its lead bowl. A complete set of 15th-century benches with traceried panels and moulded rails survives, though some 20th-century restoration and additions to seat-backs have been made. A 15th-century rood screen with tracery carving stands on a stone wall. A 17th-century pulpit of 2 tiers features a canopy and back panel. A late 17th-century communion rail is reset beneath the tower arch. A 16th-century lectern is present. The east window was created by W Holland of Warwick in 1853. Stone flagged floors, some replaced in the 20th century, cover the interior. A slab in the chancel commemorates Robert Morse, Rector, who died in 1703. Further slabs in the nave mark the deaths of Darlingo Canning in 1729, Nethanial Canning, Catherine Wing in 1758 and Samuel Ayshcombe in 1692, with an additional 18th-century slab. A brass in the south aisle floor commemorates Alice, wife of William Barnes, though the date is now lost. Reset from the chancel floor and positioned in the west wall of the north aisle are two 15th-century brasses: one depicting a priest in effigy, the other a kneeling figure who died in 1482. A tablet in the chancel commemorates Mona Parker, died 1715, whilst another records John and Catherine Barker and their son, dated 1751, 1709 and 1715. A set of six 19th-century marble tablets occupies the south wall. Arms of Queen Victoria are displayed above the chancel arch.