Parish Church Of St Mary Magdalene

SP 71 SW UPPER WINCHENDON MAIN ROAD north side

2/361 Parish Church of St. Mary Magdalene

21.12.67

• I

Parish church. C12; C14 north aisle and south porch; C15 west tower. Limestone rubble with stone dressings, the tower in dressed rubble. Old tile roofs. 3 bay chancel; nave of 3 bays with north aisle; south porch and west tower. Chancel has 2 east lancets, north and south walls with 3 lancets that have differing sill height. Traces of blocked door between left hand lancets on south side. Coped gable. North aisle has reset east window of 3 trefoil lights with 3 quatrefoils in 2-centred head. North wall has flowing traceried 2-light east window and at west and on west wall 2 trefoil light windows with quatrefoils over. Centre doorway with continuously moulded orders and label with head stops. Nave south wall has lowset lancet at east. Timber framed porch flanked by 3-light C15 windows with cinquefoil lights under a square head with moulded external reveals and label. South doorway of nave is mid C12 has semi-circular moulded head of 2 orders and shafted jambs. Left hand shaft enriched with spirals, the right hand with lozenges. Scalloped capitals, moulded abaci. West tower of 2 stages with diagonal west buttresses and embattled parapet. South east stair turret square in plan to lower stages, then semi-octagonal and octagonal above parapet with pyramidal stone cap. West doorway has continuous moulded jambs, window above of 2 cinquefoiled lights and quatrefoil. Belfry windows of 2 trefoil lights and a quatrefoil in a pointed head. Interior. Chancel windows have deep round headed rere-arches. Piscina c1200 at south east and pointed arched sedile adjacent. Cupboard in north wall has medieval wooden lining. Chancel arch 2-centre of one order, slightly chamfered to nave. Square jambs and moulded abaci. Nave north arcade of 3 semi- circular arches of one square order. No abaci or bases. Stoup to east of south door. Tower arch of 3 chamfered orders dying into square jambs. C19 arch braced collar roofs incorporating some C15 head corbels in timber. Communion rails late C17 with moulded rails and twisted balusters. C15 screen in chancel arch, open traceried upper panels, closed lower. Pulpit C14 of 3 panels carved in one piece forming half hexagon with blind flowing tracery in two stages and embattled top, a rare survival. West half of nave has C16 pews with trefoil panel ends and embattled dado rails against walls. Font c1200 tapering circular bowl on modern stem. Cover uses octagonal Jacobean sounding board. Brasses. On chancel floor. Sir John Stodeley vicar. 1502. Monument. North east chancel wall to John Goodwyn 1558. ARch on shafts frame 3 brass coats of arms and inscription C17 floor slabs in aisle. RCHM I. 299. MON.1.

Listing NGR: SP7459614494