Church Of St Andrew

Church of St Andrew, Hampton

This is a parish church dating from the 12th to 15th centuries, restored in 1903-4 by C.F. Whitcombe. It is built of buff limestone in regular blocks with blue-lias upper courses and a graded stone-tile roof.

The church comprises a nave with an embraced central tower, a lower and narrower chancel, a south porch, a north transept, and a north-east vestry. The building is mainly in Perpendicular style. The nave has three two-light south windows with Y-tracery under triangular heads. The south porch, which has a stone-slab roof, features pierced spandrels to the triangular-headed entrance under a straight-headed label with large grotesque stops. The Tudor-headed nave south doorway has foliage spandrels and a square label. On the north side the nave has two similar windows and a doorway with continuous chamfer. 12th-century masonry incorporating chevron friezes is built into the walls. The tower rises two stages above the nave with a polygonal north-east turret, freestone battlements and pinnacles. It has a single small south window in the lower stage and two-light belfry openings under straight heads. A war memorial clock face is on the south side. The chancel has diagonal buttresses and a rebuilt limestone east wall with a three-light window. In the south wall is a straight-headed window to the left, a priest's doorway and a two-light window to the right. The north chapel has a two-light east window, re-set from the north wall of the chancel. The transept has a two-light north window and a west doorway.

Inside, the porch has a pointed tunnel vault on transverse arches. The arched-brace nave roof spans three bays. Tower arches have continuous hollow chamfers and beneath the tower is a rib vault. The chancel has a two-and-a-half-bay arched-brace roof on corbels with two tiers of windbraces. In the south wall is a pointed piscina dated around 1300. The embrasure of the east window retains traces of stencilled foliage. Walls are otherwise whitened rubble stone and incorporate some 12th-century masonry with chevron friezes. Parquet floors and a mosaic sanctuary floor date from the early 20th century.

The plain round tapering tub font is 12th-century. Benches have moulded edges, probably contemporary with the choir stalls, which have plain moulded ends and open tracery to frontals. The rich Jacobean-style pulpit is by John Clackson of Worcester, dating to 1893. The simple panelled sanctuary dado incorporates brattishing behind the altar. A memorial tablet to Benjamin Scarlett (died 1739) has an entablature and achievement, carved by Richard Squire. Stained glass by Ward and Hughes includes scenes from the life of Christ in the east window (1859) and tower (around 1873), and angels in the north vestry (around 1858). The west window depicting Saints Peter, Andrew and Paul is by Burlison & Grylls (1891), with other windows by Hardman (1902, 1982), William Pearce (1899) and Ray Bradley (1988). A fine late 20th-century window by Nicola Hopwood shows a vine growing from a will, symbolising the fruits of a benefaction by John Martin, detailed on an associated board of 1747 under the tower. John Martin's tomb is in the churchyard.

The church originates from the 12th century, of which the font and masonry fragments built into the nave walls survive. The nave and central tower date from the 15th century but may reflect a 12th-century plan. The chancel was remodelled around 1300 under Abbot John de Brokehampton of Evesham. The east wall was re-faced in 1900. The 1903-4 restoration by C.F. Whitcombe added the north transept and vestry with organ chamber.

In the churchyard is a Cotswold-style chest tomb of John Martin (died 1712) and a churchyard cross of 14th to 15th-century date, restored in 1912 by A.M. Durrant, who also built the lych gate. These are separately listed.