St Helen

MATERIALS: Coursed sandstone, with C19 tooled masonry, tile and lead roofs.

The 4-centred west doorway has carved spandrels, and moulded surround with shields and hood mould.

INTERIOR: The nave, chancel arch and arch to south chapel have octagonal piers and polygonal responds of C14 type

embellished with panelled tracery and brattished capitals that suggest late C15 remodelling.

Lean-to roofs of the inner aisles have moulded timbers, but only the south is medieval.

The north has brackets, one dated 1626.

The chancel has a C19 5-bay arched-brace roof on angel corbels.

The south chapel retains the cambered tie beams of its medieval roof, but the remainder of the timber was replaced in 1963-64.

PRINCIPAL FIXTURES: The Baroque wooden reredos is dated 1679 but was restored in 1880.

The alabaster font and pulpit form a pair of 1880, by Thomas Earp.

The pulpit is round with blind arcading on marble shafts.

The font has an octagonal bowl with quatrefoils framing various symbols including IHS, crown and six-pointed star, on a stem with detached marble shafts.

A second Perpendicular style font has a panelled stem and octagonal bowl with pointed quatrefoils.

In the nave west wall is a carved and painted Carolean Royal Arms.

There are numerous monuments, the earliest of which is a C15 effigy of a pilgrim in a cusped recess in the north chapel.

Most monuments are to members of the Hastings/Huntingdon family, together with 7 family hatchments.

The monument was `restored' in 1698 by the 6th Earl when it was placed against the wall beneath a mural monument with armorial bearings.

A standing wall monument to the 9th Earl of Huntingdon was designed by William Kent and carved by Joseph Pickford.

It has a demi-figure of his widow, Selina Countess of Huntingdon, by Michael Rysbrack.

In the south aisle is a 1914-18 war memorial reredos incorporating a figure of Mary in a niche.

The earliest glass is the German, Swiss and Flemish roundels that are said to have been brought from Farleigh Hungerford (Somerset).

A series of windows by Lavers, Barraud and Westlake provides consistency to the late C19 glass.

The core of nave and chancel is C14 but the church was enlarged from 1474 at the expense of William, Lord Hastings, creating an ambitious late medieval town church comprising an aisled nave with tower, and chancel with chapels.

The roof of the inner north aisle is dated 1626.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: In the churchyard is a war memorial (LBS no 187626), and entrance gate piers of rusticated masonry, with later gates (LBS no 187625).

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION: The church of St Helen, Ashby de la Zouch, is designated at Grade I for the following principal reasons: * It is an ambitious Perpendicular town church and local landmark adjacent to Ashby Castle. * It retains significant medieval fabric in the tower, arcades and roofs. * Fixtures include an especially notable reredos of 1691 and a C17 ironwork screen. * The church retains an outstanding collection of funeral monuments from the C15-C18, including an alabaster chest tomb of c.1561 and a wall monument by Kent with sculpture by Rysbrack of c.1746. * Victorian restoration was in sympathy with the earlier work, and was accompanied by installation of fittings of high quality.

The Pilgrim's Monument in the north aisle. The effigy is probably late 15th century, and supposed to be Thomas, brother of William Lord Hastings who built the church. The figure is displayed in full pilgrim garb, with hat, staff and cockleshell adornment. The SS collar indicates a person of high rank.

© Alan Murray-Rust

This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Register.