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St Oswald

St Oswald

Althorpe

Lincolnshire

Rebuilt 1483 for Sir John Neville, with earlier origins to nave,

Architectural Features

reused C14 responds to chancel arch.

First stage: fine pointed moulded west door has shafted roll mouldings and broad hollow chamfer enriched with carved heads, flowers etc, flanking buttress shafts with crocketed pinnacles, and crocketed ogee hoodmould with finial rising to fleuron frieze with carved crown to left and grotesque to right

pointed 3-light traceried window above with restored mullions and original hoodmould with worn carved grotesque stops

Second stage: recessed moulded panel above west window with carved shield bearing arms of Neville quartered with those of Newmarch and Mowbray, above this a panel carved in high relief with the mantled helm of Neville surmounted by the bull's head crest, and flanking this, 2 heraldic panels bearing arms of Neville, Mowbray and Newmarch

south side has single slit light, heraldic panel and relief carving of ram and tun (reputed to be a rebus for the builder, Lambton).

Moulded string course with carved heads and fleurons, gargoyles to angles and above belfry openings, coped embattled parapet with crocketed angle pinnacles.

Chancel: diagonal buttresses with crocketed ogee gablets, buttresses between bays with large gargoyles, both with ornate moulded offsets, and rising to diagonal pinnacle shafts.

South side has pointed moulded door with hoodmould and angel stops, pointed 3-light traceried windows

very fine pointed 5-light east window with crenellated supertransoms and hoodmould with carved figure stops of bishop and king

moulded string course, coped embattled parapet with moulded coping, truncated pinnacles, and relief carving to west gable of Mowbray arms and crest.

those to chancel and tower are particularly fine, with cinquefoiled ogee lights, wave-and-hollow moulded reveals, hoodmoulds and carved figure stops.

Pointed double-chamfered chancel arch on reused C14 shafted responds with plain-moulded capitals and bases, mutilated to accommodate screen

North aisle, open to chapel, has carved image bracket on north wall with shield bearing arms of Neville and Newmarch flanked by foliage.

fine triple sedilia with projecting moulded bench seat, buttress shafts with moulded plinths, offsets and crocketed pinnacles, castellated half-round canopies fronted by nodding crocketed ogee arches beneath fleuron friezes, with ribbed vaulting to central canopy and carved bosses and corbels to side canopies.

Central seat contains re-set late C14 brass to William de Lound, vicar of Althorpe, with small half figure above Latin inscription.

Ornate Gothic-style wall tablet on nave south wall to William Kettlewell of 1870, with trefoiled arch on marble shafts, crocketed ogee hood with angel stops.

Reset C15 eight-bay nave roof with moulded tie beams and carved friezes, moulded principal rafters, twin side-purlins and ridge-purlin.

Good C15 6-bay chancel roof with corbelled 4-centred-arch trusses (the 2 main trusses with open traceried panels and crenellated transoms), finely moulded ridge-purlin and single side-purlins.

C15 five- bay chancel screen, much restored, with moulded posts and mid rail, central ogee arched opening flanked by 4-centred-arch lights with ornate Perpendicular tracery and crocketed ogee arches, blind-traceried lower panels, and ribbed vaulted hood with carved frieze.

Late C17 - early C18 altar rails with bulb-on-vase-balusters and corniced rail.

C15 octagonal font with carved rosette frieze to bowl, and shaft with scalloped stops.

The Perpendicular window tracery is similar in style to that current in East Yorkshire in the C15.