Church Of St Bartholomew

Church of St Bartholomew, Brisley

This parish church dates mainly from the 15th century. It is built of flint with ashlar dressings, except for the south aisle which is rendered. The roof is modern concrete tiled. The church comprises a west tower, an aisled nave of five bays with a north porch, and a chancel with crypt beneath.

The 15th-century west tower features diagonal buttresses with blind arcading and a flushwork plinth. The west door has moulded jambs with filleted rolls and two pairs of very thin shafts. Above is a large four-light Perpendicular window with traceried spandrels. Rectangular traceried sound holes are set above this. The bell openings are tall two-light openings with median transoms. A decorative crenellated parapet with angle pinnacles crowns the tower, with a canted stair turret to the south.

The aisle windows are two-light Perpendicular openings with embattled transoms, while the eastern aisle windows are similar three-light designs. The clearstorey contains ten late Perpendicular square-headed two-light windows set beneath brick and flint relieving arches. The chancel has four three-light windows to the north in Decorated style with pairs of mouchettes and central daggers, and to the south in Perpendicular style. The fine five-light east window is subdivided into sections of two, one and two lights, with embattled transoms and mouchette and dagger motifs. The chancel gable has been rebuilt with brick tumbling-in.

Inside, the nave has octagonal piers with tall bases and moulded capitals supporting arches of two plain chamfered orders. The very tall tower arch has two pairs of half shafts with wide, shallow mouldings. A wave-moulded four-centred chancel arch on half shafts divides the nave from the chancel. A piscina is located in the south aisle.

The most impressive interior feature is a very fine triple sedilia-cum-piscina in Decorated and Perpendicular styles. It has cusped and crocketted ogee arches with fleurons on quatrefoil supports, panel traceried spandrels with an embattled top course, and finely carved label stops.

Steps in the north wall lead down to the crypt, which has an entrance with original door featuring decorative ironwork and carved head label stops. The small unvaulted crypt contains three narrow splayed windows and a fourth blocked opening to the south with rebate and hinge mortices in a wooden frame for former cupboard doors.

A restored 15th-century chancel screen survives. The 15th-century aisle roofs have roll-moulded wall plates, principal rafters and butt purlins. The nave roof retains some sections of original moulded wall plate and original wall posts, possibly in the chancel, with arch bracing and truncated ties.

An impressive three-decker pulpit combines work from the 15th, 17th and 18th centuries. The lower part dates from the 15th century with poppy head pew ends. The middle storey is 17th century with panelling and a continuous bracketed lectern shelf. The top storey is 15th century, hexagonal with blind traceried panels and a 17th-century carved lectern shelf with guilloche moulding on carved brackets. The original hexagonal stem supports an 18th-century pine tester with raised and fielded panels and a scrolled iron supporting bar.

Fine 15th-century pews survive with carved poppy heads and animal arm rests. The front pew to the south has linenfold panelling, probably of 16th-century date, with some pierced traceried backs of differing designs. A book cupboard is located in the front pew to the north. Post-medieval box pews occupy positions of former aisle altars, with a carved lunette frieze to the north and to the south, the latter dated 1590, a fluted frieze and door with cock's head hinges.

Fragments of wall painting include two Saint Christophers and a consecration cross.