Church of St Anthony and St George

Church of St Anthony and St George

A Catholic church built in 1868-9 by Gilbert Blount, designed in the manner of 13th-century Gothic. The building is constructed from locally quarried coursed ragstone with Caen stone and freestone dressings, plain tile roofs with iron cresting, and incorporates carved Caen stone fittings internally.

The church comprises a nave with a south porch, a continuous apsidal chancel topped by a fleche above the chancel arch, a north aisle and Lady Chapel with a vestry beyond to the north. It stands within a churchyard enclosed on three sides by a wall, accessed via a carriage drive between the church and an adjoining house.

The west end, set between stepped buttresses, features a band of three quatrefoil lights at lower level and a four-light west window above a cill band, with plain lights beneath encircled trefoils and a quatrefoil. Below this window is a tiled roof canopy protecting the bell, and a stone gable end cross crowns the elevation. The south porch entrance has multiple moulded arches dying into the responds, with diagonally boarded doors that are chamfered on the frame reverse. Above the arch is an empty niche with a crocketed canopy and enriched base; the gable carries an ornate wrought iron cross. Two-light windows pierce the east and west porch walls.

The nave's south side features single lancets beneath richly moulded heads with figure head stops. The north aisle has paired lancets set back in flush surrounds, while its west window contains two more ornate lights also in a flush surround. A buttress on the south side marks the division between chancel and nave, while the fleche rises above the roof. The chancel has tall lancets to each facet with cusped, trefoiled heads beneath hoods with moulded bosses—except the southwest bay, which has two lights. A continuous cill band runs beneath them. The fleche has a gabled canopy above a two-bay open arcade on a splayed base. The chancel, Lady Chapel and fleche gable ends are topped by ornate wrought iron crosses. The Lady Chapel, projecting beyond the north aisle but on the same alignment, has an east window of three cusped lights beneath an encircled cinquefoil. The north vestry features an external stack with a pair of octagonal shafts; its door and window openings have shouldered arches in flush surrounds.

Internally, the church is unified in 13th-century manner. The nave has a tall north arcade in four bays with pointed arches on drum piers bearing moulded bases on tall facetted plinths and octagonal caps. The chancel and chancel arch are similar but more ornate, enriched with engaged shafts in grey veined stone. The arch responds are chamfered at the base and have stiff leaf capitals; on the east face are angel corbels. The piscina and aumbry have moulded arched heads with stiff leaf capitals.

The main altar is carved in Caen stone by Messrs Farmer and Co and depicts the Lamb of God flanked by Saint Anthony and Saint George, who are also shown in the chancel windows. The Lady Chapel altar and reredos, also by Farmer and Co in carved Caen stone, depict the Presentation of Our Lady and the Annunciation and Assumption, flanked by St Jerome and Mary Magdalene.

A stone gallery at the west end of the nave has a pierced timber balustrade. Beneath it stands an octagonal stone font in 13th-century manner. The nave roof is tall and arch-braced, supported on wall posts on foliate corbels, with moulded purlins and collars, principal rafters, and longitudinal boarding. The aisle roof is a simpler version; the chancel roof is in moulded sections, also boarded.

The altar rails have twisted timber shafts, a moulded timber rail and metal foliate panels. The chancel and Lady Chapel have Minton polychrome tile floors. The north window in the Lady Chapel bears the inscription "Mayer and Co, Munich and London". To the left of the vestry door is a figure of Our Lady mounted on a carved stone corbel.

The circulation areas within the nave have black and buff tile flooring. The original bench pews remain in place, with the front row open-fronted and arch-braced. Within the porch, the inner entrance is flanked by stone water stoups. Internal doors throughout are pine with chamfered frames, diagonal boarding and ornate furniture.

The vestry contains a stone chimneypiece with a round-arched cast iron grate. In the corner is the original sink, mounted on a cupboard. The vestry has a pine ceiling and a newel stair also in pine, rising to the upper level.