Church Of The Ascension

Church of the Ascension

An Anglican chapel, originally built in the 12th century and substantially restored in the mid-to-late 19th century. The restoration was undertaken in 1861 in neo-Norman style by Edward Earl of Ellenborough, undertaken in memory of his first wife Octavia, who died in 1819.

The early medieval church appears to have been constructed of rubble with large squared and dressed quoins. The 19th-century rebuilding employed coursed squared and dressed limestone. The building comprises a nave and chancel, with a vestry and organ chamber positioned at right angles to the south wall of the nave. A 19th-century buttress supports the chancel.

The chancel's north wall features an early studded plank door set within a 12th-century opening with megalithic jambs, imposts and a single stone lintel. To the right is a single-light window cut from a single stone, now blocked. The wall also displays one single-light and two three-light neo-Norman windows with jamb shafts and stylised scalloped capitals, beneath which runs a Lombard frieze. The chancel's east end contains a single-light neo-Norman window with a hood, and the south wall holds a two-light Perpendicular window, reputed to have come from Hailes Abbey. The chancel's north wall also contains a small 12th-century slit window with a lintel decorated with four small square recessed panels arranged in a square pattern. Stepped gable-end coping with upright cross finials crowns the chancel.

The west gable end of the nave features three neo-Norman windows with jamb shafts decorated with billeted and chevroned arches, with a single similar window positioned towards the apex. The nave's south wall contains three-light, single-light and neo-Norman windows beneath a Lombard frieze. A 19th-century two-light roof dormer features engaged wooden jamb shafts with scalloped capitals and buttressing to the chancel. Stepped gable-end coping with upright cross finials tops the nave, which also bears a bellcote with a single bell.

The 19th-century vestry displays a neo-Norman single-light window with engaged jamb shafts to its gable end, and a plank door with decorative hinges within a matching neo-Norman doorway.

The interior is plastered throughout. The nave comprises three bays with braced principal rafters resting on corbels, whilst the single-bay chancel is spanned by a 12th-century round-headed arch, probably rebuilt with megalithic jambs and simple chamfered imposts. A similar arch provides access to the vestry. The floor is flagged. A 17th-century oak panelled dado lines the nave and chancel. 19th-century free-standing pews fill the nave.

Furnishings include a rectangular neo-Norman pulpit with blind arcading and chevroned ornament; an octagonal white marble font with ornate lotus flower decoration in relief; Renaissance choir stalls featuring mannerist 'terms', carved lions' heads and carved misericords with linenfold panelling incorporating the unicorn crest above; a 19th-century lectern with cusped decoration; a neo-Norman stone communion rail in the form of interlocking arcading; a neo-Norman stone altar table with three arches and chevroned decoration; a limestone reredos with free-standing narrow stone columns; and two 19th-century chairs with carved oak panels flanking the altar. An ornate bronze hanging bowl hangs within the chancel.

The chancel contains two neo-Norman niches in its south wall, one holding a bust of Countess Octavia, and the other containing a bust of Lord Ellenborough. A shield and sword of probable Indian origin hang from the right-hand jamb of the chancel arch, with a brass plaque to Sir Charles Napier beneath. Six other 19th-century brass plaques commemorating Lord Ellenborough's relatives and associates are mounted on the south side of the nave. The chancel's south wall bears a brass tablet recording the 1861 restoration by Lord Ellenborough, a memorial plaque to Octavia Lady Ellenborough (died 1819), and a brass plaque to Lord Ellenborough (died 1871) erected 'by his tenantry'. Two brattished corbels occupy the corners at the west end, one supporting a small equestrian bronze memorial to the Duke of Wellington, the other a bust of a man.

Brightly coloured heraldic and decorative glass memorials to Lord Ellenborough's friends and relations fill the windows, including one commemorating 'the brave who fell at Sindh and in Givalio, 1843'. Two Flemish paintings hang above the chancel arch.