Church Of St Martin

TL 27 SW THE STUKELEYS CHURCH WAY Little Stukeley 5/144 Church of 28.1.58 St. Martin (Formerly listed as Church of St. Martin, Little Stukeley) GV II*

Parish church, mainly C13 but with much reused material from C12 church on the site. Late C13 west tower with later bell stage dated 1659 on parapet. Of rubble and pebblestone with some Barnack. Embattled with crocketed pinnacles at angles and traceried panelling to parapet. Of three stages on splayed plinth with angle buttressing. The west doorway is late C13 but the west window is restored and the bell chamber openings are 1659. In the ground stage there are four reset shafts and other moulded stone from the C12 church on the site. Late C13. Nave of rubblestone with plain tiled roof and parapet. Moulded main cornice with gargoyles at corners. Clerestorey of two windows, three cinquefoil lights in four centred head. South aisle and south chapel, probably late C15 or early C16. Coursed limestone. Embattled parapet with moulded main cornice with beast and grotesque gargoyles. Four windows, including those at east and west ends. Of three cinquefoil lights with vertical tracery in four-centred arches with moulded label and mask stops. South porch. Late C15 or early C16 but with date 1652 to gable end. Embattled parapet with pinnacles at corners. Two stage angle buttressing on small splayed plinth. Depressed four-centred outer arch of two wave moulded orders, inner carried on attached shaft with moulded capital and base. Shallow ogee label with running foliate decoration. C15 or early C16 inner arch, two-centred and of two hollow moulded orders with label. Two reset corbels carved with angels on either side of doorway. One to right above late C15 or early C16 holy water stoup. Chancel, pebble and rubblestone with east end rebuilt in coursed limestone ashlar. Leaded, shallow pitch roof. C15 east window of three cinquefoil lights. C13 north aisle, rebuilt 1887, containing some reused mediaeval stone. Interior. Tower arch of three chamfered orders, the inner carried on attached shafts with moulded capital and base. C13 north and south arcades of two bays. Two centred arches of two chamfered orders on octagonal columns with moulded octagonal capitals and bases. Attached to the centre column of the north arcade is a large bracket, the soffit carved with an angel. C19 roof on original carved stone corbels. C15-C16 chancel arch of two chamfered orders, with responds with attached shafts and moulded capitals and bases. Late C15 or early C16 openings to north and south chapels. The walls of the chancel contain some moulded stone reused from earlier church on site. Font, C15. Octagonal with each face carved with a quatrefoil in a circle. Carved soffit on octagonal stem. Above the chancel arch is a C17 panel with moulded frame. RCHM (Hunts) mon.(1), p266. Pevsner: Buildings of England, p286.

Listing NGR: TL2094875684