Church Of St Faith

Church of St. Faith, Kelshall

Parish church of the early 15th century. The building was thoroughly restored in 1868-70 by Messrs. Nash and Sons, the tower was restored in 1911, and further restoration was undertaken in 1982.

The church is constructed of flint rubble, mostly knapped, with clunch and Bath stone dressings. The chancel has a slate roof and the building is in the Perpendicular style, comprising a 3 bay chancel, 4 bay nave and aisles, a south porch, and a west tower.

The chancel features a 3 light east window with a pointed head, diagonal buttresses with moulded bases, and kneelers to a stone coped gable parapet with ridge cross. To the north and south are two 2 light windows with Tudor arched heads. A south entrance has a pointed head with buttresses, and there is a continuous plinth.

The nave is taller than the chancel with a shallow pitched roof and an embattled parapet to the east. It has 4 clerestorey windows to each side with 4 centred arched heads, 2 lights each, mask stopped hood moulds, and a cornice to the embattled parapet.

The north aisle has 2 windows of 2 lights each with 4 centred arched heads and mask stopped hood moulds. An entrance towards the west end has a moulded pointed arch, with embattled parapets and diagonal buttresses to the returns. At the east end is a 3 light window with 4 centred arched head and rectilinear tracery, with a mask stopped hood mould. To its east is a canted angle to the chancel containing rood loft stairs. A taller 2 light west window has a 4 centred arched head and mask stopped hood mould.

The south aisle has 2 windows of 2 lights each with segmental arched heads and a diagonal buttress to the east end with a 3 light segmental arched headed window. The embattled parapet continues over a large 2 storey south porch. The porch has a 2 centred entrance arch with engaged shafts in the jambs and Bishop and King mask stops to the hood mould. An upper chamber contains a slit window. The inner entrance has a pointed arch in a moulded square surround with quatrefoils in the spandrels. There is an original plank and muntin door with early iron lock, latch and hinges. Diagonal buttresses to the porch returns have 2 light segmental arched headed windows. The west return has a semi-octagonal stair turret leading to the upper chamber, abutting a diagonal buttress to the south aisle west end which has a 2 light segmental arched headed window.

The 3 stage west tower has 3 stage diagonal buttresses and a high plinth. A tall 2 light west window has a hexafoil traceried pointed head with a deep embrasure, and there are slit windows to the southwest for stairs and in the lower stages to the south. The second stage has a foiled lancet to the west. The belfry has 4 pointed openings of 2 lights with hexafoil heads, an embattled parapet, and a weathervane finial.

Interior

The pointed chancel arch has a casement between 2 wave mouldings to both sides, with engaged column responds with outer quarter columns having moulded caps and bases. The tower arch is a taller 2 centred arch, triple moulded with a middle casement, compound responds, and semi-octagonal shafts with moulded caps and bases returned on the west wall of the nave. The 4 bay nave arcades have 2 centred arches with a casement between 2 wave mouldings, composite piers with 4 engaged shafts (larger to east and west) with hollows in the angles, and moulded caps and bases.

A niche in the northwest corner of the north aisle, approximately 4 metres in height, has a pointed arched head to a circular recess with hooks for a door, probably for a processional stave. A pointed head to the door to the belfry stairs appears in the southwest angle of the tower. A pointed head to an early plank door leads to the porch upper chamber stairs. The lower door to the rood loft stair is blocked but the upper opening remains in place to the north of the chancel arch.

A 15th century piscina with a double moulded pointed arch is located at the east end of the south aisle south wall. Four carved bracket supports for statues are positioned on the east wall of the chancel and at the east end of the north aisle.

The nave roof retains some early timbers with arched braces on angel corbels, painted with vine leaf ornament, masks and bosses, apparently following traces of the original decorative scheme. The lean-to aisle roofs are similar, with a painted star pattern at the east end of the north aisle. The steeply pitched 19th century chancel roof has arched braces on mask corbels with painted decoration.

A dado survives from the early 15th century rood screen, comprising 4 panels with foiled and cusped heads and painted figures of St. Edmund, St. Edward the Confessor and two bishops, restored. A 19th century octagonal font copies a 15th century predecessor.

Monuments and Fittings

On the chancel north wall is a stone epitaph to E. Franklin, died 1617, and his wife, featuring 2 kneeling figures (the female figure decapitated) flanking caryatids of Faith and Charity, with a seraph at the base and lengthy inscription credited to 'Opus ..... Browne'. Brass figures of R. Adane and his wife, dated 1435, are located at the east end of the nave floor, with various floor slabs also present. Fragments of 15th century glass survive at the head of the north aisle window.

The east window contains figures of Faith, Hope and Charity dated to 1875, attributed to Heaton, Butler and Bayne. The chancel north and south windows are dated 1875 and are by Lavers, Barraud and Westlake.