Church Of St Giles

ASHTEAD ASHTEAD PARK TQ 1858-1958 7/13 & 8/13 7.9.51 Church of St Giles GV II*

Parish church. Early C12 nave (extended westwards in early C15), C13 chancel, early C15 west tower; heavily restored and altered, and south porch, north transept and choir vestry added, in C19. Mostly flint, with some Roman tiles included, some C19 red brick, limestone and sandstone dressings, stone slate roof. The tower, rectangular in plan and of 4 low stages, the upper half set back slightly, has a chamfered plinth, diagonal buttresses and south-east stair-turret; a 4-centred arched west doorway with strap-hinged studded plank double-doors, cavetto moulding to the arch, hollow spandrels, a square-headed cavetto-moulded surround and a C19 hoodmould with figured stops; a C19 square-headed 3-light window to the 2nd stage, C19 2-fight windows on each stage above, both with arched lights and the upper with wooden louvres; a C19 embattled parapet; and a pyramidal roof with weathervane. The other sides of the tower have belfry windows only, that on the east side of 3 lights; and the stair-turret has small square-headed lancets on 3 levels (now glazed). The 3-bay nave has a gabled south porch in the centre, a 2-centred arched 2-light window to the left and a square-headed 3-light window to the right, all these C19. The 2-bay chancel has similar windows in reverse order, diagonal buttresses at the east end, a C19 4- centred arched 3-light east window, and traces of a former gable line to the left of this. The north side is mostly covered by the C19 transept and vestry. Interior: C19 scissor-braced roofs in nave and transept, C19 wagon-roof in chancel, all elaborately carved; C16 octagonal font with quatrefoil panels; C16 Flemish east window (attributed to Lambert Lombard of Liege), formerly in the abbey of Herckenrode and presented to this church in 1818; numerous wall monuments in the chancel, including: 2 small lettered brasses to Dorothea Quinnella (d.1640) and John Browne (d.1590) "Sergeant of Her Majesties Wood Yeard"; wall tablets to Henry Newdigate (d.1629) - in rectangular architrave with Ionic pilasters; Sarah Bond (d.1712) - a fine draped aedicule with weeping putti etc; William, son of George Duncumb (d.1698) - architrave with fluted Ionic colonettes; Thomas Howard (d.1701) - in a fine aedicule with putti and crest; Diana, Lady Dudley and Ward (d.1709) - carved aedicule with crest; Frances Howard (d.1818); Fulke Greville Howard (d.1846); and in the nave, a large pedimented monument to Lady Diana Fielding (d.1733), with a bust in a circular recess. History: originated as chapel to the manor of Ashtead, and stands close to the site of the former manor house.

Listing NGR: TQ1928658005