Church Of St Helen

ST.HELEN WITHOUT DRY SANDFORD SP4600 16/132 Church of St. Helen GV II Church. 1855, by J.B. Clacy. Coursed and dressed limestone (highly ferruginous and ruddy coloured) with buff-coloured ashlar dressings. Stone-coped gables to stone slate roof. Chancel with north vestry, and nave with north chapel. Early English style. Apsidal east end has hood moulds over 5 trefoil-headed lancets: 2-bay chancel has similar lancets and moulded trefoil-arched south door: vestry, which has 2-light window, pointed-arched door and 2-light geometrical-style gable-end window, adjoins short stair turret with broached pyramidal cap. Bellcote at east end of nave. 5-bay nave has plain lancets (paired in east bay) divided by offset buttresses: south porch has pointed moulded doors, with engaged shafts on outer door, and 3-light trefoil-headed side windows. 3-light stepped lancet west window. All windows have hood moulds with ballflower stops. Interior: vault in apsidal sanctuary has groins continued as shafts with ballflower capitals. Double-chamfered sanctuary arch has similar engaged shafts with ballflower capitals. Chancel: hood moulds over rere-arches with bell capitals to engaged shafts. Poppyhead bench ends. Oak screen to vestry has trefoil-headed arches divided by ringed shafts with bell capitals and trefoiled spandrels. Steps from vestry through trefoil-arched door to pulpit facing nave: stone canopy above square C13-style richly-carved pulpit with marble corner shafts. Reader's desk has circular rail of C13-style trefoil-headed arches. Roof has enamelled text plates. (Buildings of England: Berkshire, p.130).

Listing NGR: SP4675200403