Parish Church Of St Lawrence (Church Of England)

Parish Church of St Lawrence

This is a parish church situated on the south side of Ardeley village. The building displays work spanning from the 13th century to the 20th century, with the nave and chancel dating from the 13th century or earlier, the north aisle from the early 13th century, the south aisle, chancel arch and west tower from the early 14th century, and the clerestorey and angel roofs from the 15th century. The north porch was donated in 1508. The church was significantly restored in the 19th century: the chancel was restored in 1864 by William Butterfield, and a general restoration took place from 1880 to 1884. A north vestry was added in the 19th century, and a half-timbered south porch was also constructed during this period.

The exterior is built of flint rubble with stone dressings and remains of external render. The south aisle and chancel are rendered and supported by 18th-century red brick buttresses with tumbled brickwork, stone bases and stone offsets. The roofs are of steep old red tile covering the chancel and porches, while the roofs of the nave and aisles are concealed behind embattled parapets. The unbuttressed tower is similarly crowned with a parapet and topped with a Hertfordshire spike.

The plan comprises a nave with north and south aisles, a chancel, a west tower, north and south porches, and a lean-to flint vestry. A polygonal turret at the northeast of the nave contains the rood stair.

The chancel retains 13th-century lancet windows in its north and south walls, which have been reset. On the south side is a piscina with shafted jambs and dog-tooth ornament, and on the north side a tomb-recess similarly detailed. The east window was renewed in 1858 and is flanked by niches which were discovered in 1849 and restored in 1864 by Butterfield from record drawings. Behind a 20th-century reredos is scratch-moulded panelling painted with luxuriant vegetation and flowers on a green ground in the style of William Morris. The chancel roof is a simple 19th-century collar-rafter design, executed after Brandon with sloping ashlars and all members chamfered and simple trefoil cusping over the altar.

The chancel arch is of 14th-century date with two chamfered orders. A brass on its south jamb commemorates Thomas Shotbolt with wife and children, dated 1599.

The chancel walls feature several brasses and monuments. On the south wall is a brass to Philip Metcalffe, dated 1515 and recording him as vicar. On the north wall is a brass to Wyndham Malet, dated 1885 and also recording him as vicar. Also on the north wall, next to the pulpit, is the lower part of a female figure and inscription to John Clerk and wife, dated circa 1430. A fine wall monument on the south side of the chancel arch commemorates Mary Markham, dated 1673, and is attributed to Edward Stanton. It features a demi-figure in a niche with Corinthian pilasters and a broken pediment with a swaddled baby on a ledge in front. An elaborate swagged marble cartouche commemorates Henry Chauncy, dated 1703, son of the county historian Sir Henry Chauncy (1632–1719), who is also buried in the church.

The nave is of three bays and contains 15th-century angel roofs with elaborate carved details. The clerestorey comprises three two-light cinquefoil windows on each side. Stone figure corbels at the east wall support the roof timbers; elsewhere timber corbels support wallposts of the 15th-century three-bay low-pitched open timber roof. This roof features curved braces to cambered tie beams with traceried spandrels. The moulded ridge and purlins have carved bosses in each bay at mid-span where they meet a similarly moulded secondary principal rafter. Large angel figures are carved on the lower part of these rafters with wings displayed, playing musical instruments. Similar roofs in the north and south aisles display angels with shields or scrolls. The easternmost half-bay of the nave roof is panelled with carved bosses and ribs, positioned over the rood.

A cut-down screen with four painted saints is located in the nave; it was restored in 1884. The rood loft, with crucifix and attendant saints and a panelled canopy, was installed in 1928 by Frederick Charles Eden and is supported on carved posts with curved braces.

The north arcade is of three bays and dates to the early 13th century, featuring two-centred arches in two chamfered orders with octagonal shafts and simple bell capitals. At the west impost a corbel head supports the capital. The south arcade is of more pointed 14th-century character with an additional drip mould, wider piers and more elaborate moulded caps.

The north aisle contains a late 13th-century two-light west window with stained glass in situ in its tracery head. There are two late 15th-century three-light windows in the north wall and a more elaborate three-light Perpendicular east window.

The south aisle has been little altered and retains late 15th-century tracery in the original openings of its three-light windows. At the west is a narrow trefoil-headed window. A piscina with cusped trefoil head and shelf is present. The aisle contains 15th-century benches with poppy heads at the rear.

A 15th-century octagonal font is present, with heads carved on alternate facets of the bowl above a moulded cap to an octagonal shaft.

The west tower is of two stages and is entered by a tall 14th-century tower arch of two chamfered orders on heavy polygonal jamb shafts. A 14th-century two-light west window is present, along with 15th-century two-light bell openings.

The north porch has an entrance archway with shafted jambs and a scissor-braced roof with ashlar pieces and moulded cornice. It contains small two-light east and west windows, a stone basin to the west of the doorway, and two stone benches bearing graffiti.

Wall paintings are said to have been discovered in the church in 1880, but they are no longer exposed. An ornate cistern dated 1775 stands between the north aisle and vestry.