Parish Church Of St Edmund Or St James

TL 1551 BLUNHAM PARK LANE

7/16 Parish Church of St 31.10.66 Edmund or St James

GV I

Parish Church. C12 to C16, with C19 work. Coursed rubble with ashlar dressings, mainly ironstone with some limestone. Chancel, N and S chapels, nave, N and S aisles, N and S porches, W tower. Chancel: rebuilt C13, has C19 3-light E window. C15 clerestory, with 3 3-light windows each side. N wall has pointed arch to W, blocked C14 window to E. S wall has 2 early C14 2- light windows, beneath E one a late C13 triple sedilia, under W one a C19 doorway. Doorway and late C15 stone screen onto S chapel. Line of earlier chancel roof visible above chancel arch. N chapel: C15, with 4-light N window and plain niche to E wall. NE angle rebuilt. S chapel: C15, with 5-light E window. Nave: C15, with 3-bay arcades to N and S. Clerestory, probably later C15, has 3 2-light windows each side. N aisle: C15 4-light W window under pointed arch. N doorway with 4-centred head, and 2 4-light windows to E of that, all late C15. N porch: C19, gabled with tiled roof. S aisle: S doorway has pointed arch within square head. Blocked doorway, originally serving parvis staircase. To E of this is 4-light window with pointed head, to W of door and to W elevations are 4-light windows with pointed heads. S porch: later C15, reaching to churchyard boundary, with archways to W and E. Plain parapet to chancel, embattled parapets to nave, aisles and chapels. W tower: 3 stages. Early C12, largely rebuilt C16. Blocked C12 round-headed window to N, and C12 round-headed arch onto nave with alternate voussoirs of limestone and ironstone. Rest is 1583 (2 datestones to W elevation). Clasping buttresses to NW and SW angles. Embattled parapet with pinnacles. 3-light windows to each side of bell-stage, and to W elevation 1st and 2nd stages. Interior: C15 plain octagonal font. circa 1340 recessed tomb in chancel, with cinquefoiled ogee arched canopy and large foliate finial. Brass in nave floor to Richard Maulaye, mercer, d.1506, and wife Alice. Tomb in chancel to Susanna Countess of Kent, d.1620, with alabaster effigy of herself and smaller ones of her 2 sons, under semicircular canopy. Various late C17 and C18 tombs to Bromsall family. Chancel has wall monument to Godfrey Thornton, d.1805, by J Bacon jnr, with tablet surmounted by obelisk and urn. Also in chancel is wall monument to Frances Thornton, d.1862, by Samuel Manning jnr, with kneeling woman by urn on pedestal. Chancel retains late C15 roof with carved bosses, including chained bear, griffin, and kneeling priest. C17 pulpit, with 2 tiers of arched panels. Tower arch retains C17 oak screen. John Donne, preacher and metaphysical poet, was Rector of Blunham 1621-31, at the same time as Dean of St Paul's.

Listing NGR: TL1530851104