Church Of St Andrew

Church of St Andrew

Parish church. The medieval church on this site was replaced in 1749 by the present building designed by Henry Flitcroft. A 14th-century north chapel remains from the earlier church. Restoration in 1887 involved gothicizing the south front.

The church is built of red brick with limestone dressings. The west end nearest the house is of clunch ashlar with limestone ashlar to the lower courses. The roofs are parapetted with moulded main cornice. The plan consists of a nave and chancel under a single roof with a north chapel.

The north chapel retains one 14th-century window of clunch with two lights and reticulated tracery in a two-centred arch. The remaining windows date from the 1887 restoration, except those at the west end which were remodelled in 1732.

The west gable end is pedimented and symmetrical in two stages, with a bulls-eye window to the tympanum. A pedimented central doorway on console brackets has a moulded doorcase. Two flanking blind window recesses flank a round-headed arch containing the west window, set in a raised and eared architrave and flanked by round-headed niches. The south doorway was remodelled in 1887 with two moulded continuous orders and a window above dating from 1749 in a round-headed arch. The remainder of the south wall fenestration dates from 1887. The east end is pedimented with a bulls-eye opening to the tympanum.

Inside, the west gallery and organ chamber have symmetrically turned balusters to the balustrade, divided into three bays by two wooden Ionic columns. At the east end, the rear surround of the Venetian window is in three bays divided by pilasters on a high base. The centre bay is scrolled and pedimented and enriched with garlands and drops of foliage. A mid-18th-century altar table and wrought-iron communion rail remain.

The church contains numerous monuments to members of the Yorke family in the nave and north chapel. These include a panel in the nave to the Right Honourable Charles Philip Yorke (died 1834) and his wife Harriet (died 1854) by Thomas Denman, and on the south wall a white marble tablet to the Honourable Agneta Yorke (died 1820) with a medallion portrait and figures of her husband and sons by J Flaxman.

In the north chapel, monuments include one of early to mid-17th-century date, reset in the mid-18th century, to Sir Thomas Chicheley (died 1616) and his wife and children. It consists of two-stage altar tombs of alabaster with an effigy to the upper stage and miniature effigies to the lower stage. Against the east wall is a large wall monument to Philip, first Earl of Hardwicke (died 1764) and his wife Margaret (died 1761) by James Stuart, executed in marble with an inscription tablet, sarcophagus and grey obelisk, flanked by allegorical female figures including Athene with playing putti on the base.

On the north wall is a monument to Catharine (died 1759), wife of the Honourable Charles Yorke, in white and brown marble by James Stuart, and a monument to the Honourable Charles Yorke (died 1770) and his wives Catherine and Agneta, a grey marble obelisk with inscription tablet and putti by P Scheemaker. The west wall contains a monument to Philip, 2nd Earl of Hardwicke (died 1790) by T Banks and to the Honourable John Yorke (died 1801) by R Westmacott. At the centre of the chapel is a white marble tomb chest with shaped ends to Philip, 3rd Earl of Hardwicke (died 1834) and his wife Elizabeth by R Westmacott junior. A brass on the south wall of the chapel commemorates Edward March (died 1625), parson of Wimpole, and his wife.