Church Of St Lawrence

BRAFIELD ON THE GREEN CHURCH LANE SP85NW (East side) 5/9 Church of St. Lawrence 03/05/68

GV II*

Church. C12, C13 and C15, restored 1858. Chancel rebuilt 1848 by J.M. Derick, North aisle and arcade rebuilt 1850, porch 1911. Coursed limestone and ironstone rubble, slate and plain-tile roofs. Chancel, aisled nave, south porch and west tower. 2-bay chancel has 3-light east window. 2-light windows north and south, all with Decorated-style tracery and hood moulds. The walling is of limestone banded with ironstone. Deep hollow-chamfered stone eaves, diagonal offset buttresses and stone-coped east gable with kneelers. Aisles have 2-light windows with Decorated-style tracery and hood moulds. South door with pointed arched head in porch with shafts to doorway and double-chamfered arch. Small niche above doorway and paired cusped 1-light windows to sides of porch. 3-stage tower has small door to south with round-arched head and old plank door, 1-light windows either side of large offset buttress to west with hood moulds, a lancet window to middle stage south with hood mould and label stops, and 2-light bell-chamber openings with transom, trefoil-headed lights, quatrefoil to head and hood moulds. Massive diagonal offset buttress, gargoyles to angles and battlemented chamfered chancel arch with polygonal responds. Nave has 3-bay arcades, that to north C19 with circular piers and elaborate foliage capitals. South arcade has polygonal east and west responds with stiff leaf capitals, one circular pier with basketweave decoration to north side, waterleaf to other sides, and another with keeled shafts to angles, coupled shafts to four sides, and capital with stiff-leaf and carved heads to angles, both with moulded bases and octagonal abaci; double-chamfered arches. Norman font has square bowl with ornament of interlacing semi-circles and circular stem; probably much re-cut. 7-sided panelled pulpit, probably late C18. (Buildings of England: Northamptonshire: 1973, p119; VCH: Northamptonshire: Vol IV, 1937, pp228-9)

Listing NGR: SP8221559060