Church Of St Andrew

Church of St Andrew, Kimbolton

A parish church recorded in the Domesday Survey of 1086, though its present appearance is largely medieval, spanning the 13th to 15th centuries. The north and south arcades date to the 13th century, while the external appearance is predominantly 14th century with 15th-century additions. The building is constructed of Barnack stone and rubblestone with some pebblestone.

The west tower is early 14th century, rising in three stages on a plinth with four-stage angle buttressing and a newel staircase in the north-west angle. It features a moulded main cornice enriched with mask and other ornament. A broach spire with three tiers of gabled spire lights rises above. The doorway and other tower openings are also early 14th century.

The nave is 14th century with an embattled parapet and four early 14th-century clerestory windows on each side. The chancel dates to the 14th century, though its south wall was rebuilt in the 18th century, and it has a 15th-century east window (restored). The north aisle and north chapel are 14th century, with ogee heads to five cinquefoil lights in four-centred arches. A porch to the Montagu family vault was added beneath the north chapel in 1853, and a north vestry in 1847.

The south aisle and chapel are 15th century, embattled with cut-down corner pinnacles. The aisle contains five three-light windows with vertical tracery and a similar five-light window at the east end. The 15th-century south porch is also embattled, with outer and inner arches featuring shafts and moulded jambs in two-centred arches with square heads and tracery to spandrels. A round-headed niche is set above the outer archway.

Interior features include a 14th-century chancel arch of two-centred form with three moulded orders and responds on linked attached shafts with moulded capitals. North of the chancel arch is a small niche with cinquefoil tracery and a crocketed ogee head.

The early 13th-century north arcade comprises four bays with two-centred arches of two chamfered orders featuring a label of nail-head ornament, supported on alternate round and octagonal columns. The late 13th-century south arcade has four bays with similar arches and moulded labels on round columns.

The 15th-century nave roof has been restored and features jackposts on 15th-century grotesque corbels. The north and south aisles have fine 15th-century roofs with main beams and principal rafters bearing carved bosses at intersections. Jackposts in the north aisle and intermediate principal rafters in both aisles are carved with figures, including St Michael and Angels with emblems of the Passion in the north aisle.

A 13th-century font comprises a square bowl on a repaired central and detached subsidiary shafts.

Screens separate the north chapel from the north aisle (15th century, four bays, partly restored) and the south chapel from the south aisle (late 16th century, five bays including an opening bay). Both feature cinquefoil and subcusped tracery with ogee heads. The south chapel screen retains traces of original painting to its closed lower panels.

The south chapel contains a series of monuments including a 1632 wall monument to Lady Isabella Smyth, a 1642 altar tomb and wall monument to Henry, 1st Earl of Manchester, a 1658 free-standing monument to Essex, Countess of Manchester, and a 1641 monument to the Right Honourable Anne, Lady Mandeville. The south aisle holds a 1722 wall monument to William Ashton.