Church Of St Botolph

Church of St Botolph

This church dates from the 13th and 14th centuries and was substantially restored between 1878 and 1879, when William White rebuilt the tower and added new tracery to some windows. The building is constructed of coursed squared limestone and ironstone with plain-tile roofs, except for a lead roof to the south aisle.

The church comprises a chancel, nave, south aisle, south porch and west tower. The 2-bay chancel contains a 3-light east window with curvilinear tracery and hood mould, and a small trefoil window in the gable above, carved with the figure of a man playing an instrument. To the north is a 2-light window with straight head, ogee-headed lights and hood mould with label stops, along with a lower one-light window to the north-west with cusped head. A 2-light straight-headed window to the south has renewed ogee-headed lights and hood mould. The priest's door to the south features chamfered jambs, an ogee-moulded head and hood mould. A narrow rectangular window to its left has a chamfered stone surround. Offset angle buttresses and one offset buttress between bays to the north support this section.

The nave contains 2-light windows to the north, the north-east example with Y-tracery and the north-west with ogee-headed lights and quatrefoil to the head, both with hood moulds. A blocked north door with shouldered head and stone lintel is visible here.

The south aisle has a 2-light renewed east window with straight head and hood mould, and 2-light windows to the south and west with Decorated tracery and hood moulds. The double ogee-moulded south door, with hood mould, is housed in a porch featuring a chamfered doorway and hood mould. A small carved head appears in the gable above.

The 3-stage west tower displays a lancet window to the west, and a 2-light straight-headed window to the south of the middle stage with ogee-headed lights. The tower has 2-light bell-openings to the north and south, and 1-light bell-openings to the east and west; the south bell-openings are flanked by blank arcades with roll-moulded arches on shafts with moulded capitals. A corbel table, plain stone-coped parapet and pyramidal recessed shingled roof crown the tower. Diagonal buttresses strengthen both the tower and south aisle.

Interior: The chancel contains two tomb recesses to the north. The one by the altar has a many-moulded arch and hood mould, whilst the other features a moulded ogee arch with hood mould, foliage finial and label stops. An image bracket stands to the left of the east window. The division between chancel and nave comprises a central arch with chamfered jambs flanked by 2-light straight-headed windows with ogee-headed lights; the window to the right is recessed in the arch.

The nave has a 3-bay arcade. The early 13th-century middle and west arches have circular piers with square abacuses and plain arches. The later east bay features a double-chamfered arch with the inner arch supported on moulded corbels. The south chapel retains a 17th-century screen and piscina.

An important series of late 14th- and 15th-century wall-paintings survives. On the north wall of the nave facing the south door is a large St Christopher with a mermaid and fishes. On the south side of the nave are St Francis receiving the stigmata, St Michael weighing souls, with St George partly painted over these figures. Two figures appear in the west arch of the arcade and the Mass of St Gregory in the middle arch. The south aisle contains the Annunciation, a martyrdom and St Anne teaching the Virgin. On the south wall of the south aisle are St Eloi and traces of the Three Living and Three Dead.

Early 14th-century stained glass survives in the east window, showing the Lucy arms and grisaille, with late medieval canopies to the heads of the north chancel window.

Wall monuments in the chancel include one to Thomas Knight, died 1723, with arms in a cartouche above the inscription. A marble wall monument commemorates Simon and Rachel Knight, who died in 1776 and 1794 respectively, and is topped with an urn finial.