Chapel Of St Catherine

The Chapel of St Catherine is a historic chapel located on a hilltop, dating from around 1400. It underwent repairs in 1742 and again in the late 19th century. The chapel features dressed stone walls that show significant weathering. At the corners and bay divisions, there are buttresses that are set back, each with two pairs of set-offs, pedestal tops, and crenellated cornices. An octagonal newel-stair projects from the north-west corner and is only buttressed up to the parapet string. The tall parapet wall has three segmental openings at the base of each bay to allow for rainwater drainage. The roof is made of stone slabs, which were recently renewed in Clipsham stone in 1983.

The chapel has a single-cell rectangular layout with axial porches on the north and south sides. The east window consists of three cinquefoiled lights with vertical tracery set in a two-centred head, complete with a label that has returned stops. The second bays on both the north and south walls each feature a repaired two-light window with a two-centred head. Both porches have steeply-pitched stone slab roofs, diagonal buttresses, and two-centred doorways with moulded jambs. The porches also have ribbed pointed-barrel roofs.

Inside, the chapel has a pointed barrel vault made of stone, which springs from moulded cornices and is divided into eight main bays by moulded ribs. Each bay contains two ranges of three panels with cinquefoiled heads. The bases of the vault are intricately carved with foliage, two figure-subjects, a beast, and a man's head. The east wall has four image brackets, while the south wall features a piscina with a trefoiled head and a cinquefoil drain shaped like a leaf. The north-west newel-stair leads to the roof and a small chapel located in the head of the stair-turret. This small chapel retains one of a pair of stone supports for its altar slab and has an ornate ceiling, which is partly reconstructed, supported by a central column with a richly carved capital. The chapel is also designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.