Parish Church Of St Andrew

Parish Church of St Andrew, Alwalton

This is a parish church of medieval origin, substantially developed over several centuries and substantially restored in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The earliest work dates to around 1190, when the north aisle and its arcade were constructed. The north aisle was then lengthened by one additional bay in the early 13th century, at which time the nave, south aisle, and west tower were also built. Around 1300, the chancel, north and south transepts were rebuilt with stone vaulted roofs, and a central tower may have been begun at this time. The western arch of the crossing dates to around 1330. In the 15th century, a clerestory was added to the nave, and the vaulting was removed from the chancel and transepts; the chancel arch was also taken down.

The church underwent major restoration in 1840–41 under architect Browning, when a chancel arch was inserted, a south porch was added, parapets were rebuilt, transept walls were reconstructed, and the south-east corner of the tower was rebuilt. The tower was underpinned in 1902–3, and further restoration took place in 1904–6 under architects Townsend and Fordham, with builder Thompson and Co.

The walls are constructed of limestone rubble with Barnack stone dressings; the clerestory is faced with brick and plastered. Roofs are of lead and slates.

The west tower, in two stages, has a chamfered plinth and a 19th-century embattled parapet with a corbel table of trefoiled arches and mask stops; the south-east corner clasping buttresses were rebuilt. The ground storey and second stage contain small lancet windows. The belfry wall has an arcade of three bays with two-centred chamfered arches and moulded labels springing from detached octagonal shafts with moulded capitals and bases; the central bay contains a two-light window with a central octagonal shaft and trefoil above. The clerestory has a plain 19th-century parapet and original 15th-century gargoyles; three windows each contain two cinquefoiled lights with pierced spandrels in a four-centred head with moulded label.

The early 13th-century south doorway has a two-centred head of two orders, with a chamfered inner order and an outer order enriched with zig-zag ornament, springing from detached shafts with moulded capitals and bases. The south aisle has a 17th-century western window and a 15th-century eastern window of two cinquefoiled lights with a square head. The 19th-century south porch has a parapet gable and diagonal buttresses.

The south transept has a moulded string course below its restored window and a plain parapet gable. The chancel has a similar parapet and string course, with three windows dating to around 1300: two windows each containing two lights with trefoiled or ogee-trefoiled heads, the western window with a single transomed light and a blocked low-side window, and a doorway with a segmental head and chamfered jambs.

Interior

The nave arcades comprise four bays to the north and three bays to the south. The three eastern bays of the north arcade date to around 1190 and have semi-circular arches of two chamfered orders springing from circular piers with carved capitals and moulded bases, with chamfered hood moulds to the nave with carved stops. The fourth bay of the north arcade and the three bays of the south arcade date to the 13th century and have semi-circular arches of one chamfered order and chamfered hood-moulds springing from circular piers with moulded capitals and bases.

The tower arch is two-centred, of two chamfered orders with a chamfered hood-mould to the nave. Its responds comprise three grouped and keeled shafts with two detached circular shafts with moulded caps and bases, common plinths and abaci.

A stair turret doorway with a boarded door is present. The crossing arches comprise a western arch of 19th-century date springing from semi-octagonal responds dating to around 1330; the north and south arches are similar, segmental and pointed of two chamfered orders, with the inner order springing from responds formerly belonging to 13th-century vaulting shafts, which now have 15th-century embattled capitals. Traces of original vaults remain visible in both transepts and the chancel.

The 19th-century chancel arch is present. The chancel contains a 13th-century piscina, sedilia of three bays with reused 14th-century material, and a late 13th-century tomb-recess in the north wall. A 15th-century font with a plain bowl with chamfered angles, plain stem, and hollow-chamfered base is present. Glass in the low-side window possibly dates to the 14th century. Wall monuments and floor slabs are recorded in the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England and the Victoria County History.