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St Mary

St Mary

Whaplode

Lincolnshire

WHAPLODE CHURCH STREET TF 32 SW (west side) 9/134 Church of St. Mary 30.6.66 G.V. I Parish church. c.1140, c.1190, early C13, C14, C17, 1818.

Architectural Features

Pilaster buttresses beyond each with single windows in west end of each of the aisles, both heavily restored in C17, the north with almost semi-circular head, the south pointed, and both with plain mullions.

Above the doorway is a large C14 window with pointed head, hood mould

head label stops, however it is partially blocked and a smaller pointed C17 window inserted with 5 lights and transom.

Shallow pointed early C14 window to left with 3 cusped ogee headed lights, tracery and fragmentary hood mould.

3 shallow pointed windows to left all with C17 mullions inserted and hood moulds.

Transept with 3 stage diagonal buttresses and large pointed C14 5 light north window with C17 mullions with sub-panel tracery above.

East side with large rectangular C17 6 light mullion window.

Partially blocked pointed C14 window to left with C17 mullions inserted and double chamfered surround.

Clerestory of c.1150 with 22 blind, semi-circular headed arches with continuous hood moulds, flanking shafts with cushion or scalloped capitals with third, sixth, tenth, thirteenth, sixteenth and nineteenth bays from the west, opened up into windows.

Gargoyle to right.

East gable end of nave with semi- circular headed window of c.1150 with roll moulded head, flanking shafts with cushion capitals and hood mould.

Chancel, restored in 1818, with a pair of 3 stage buttresses flanking a C17 3 light rectangular window and with suggestions of blocked former arcade.

East end with plinth, moulded string course and sill band beneath large C14 pointed window with deeply moulded surround, hood mould with small head label stops

4 lights with C17 intersecting tracery, blocked beneath transom.

South side of chancel with C17 3 light rectangular window flanked by 3 stage buttresses.

West end of south aisle with sill band running beneath a pointed window of c.1280 with 3 pointed lights and sub Y tracery.

4 stage bell tower attached to south of c.1190 and with 4 stage angle buttresses, the upper stages being pilasters with nook shafts.

Bell openings on all 4 sides, each with a pair of pointed heads richly roll moulded and with several slender shafts with moulded capitals, bands of chipstar, shaft rings and C14 tracery.

Moulded string course and eaves, the latter with small sculptured motifs and several projecting gargoyles.

2 similar windows are beyond the gabled C16 porch to the left with semi-circular headed doorway with continuously double chamfered surround.

Porch interior with flanking stone benches, tunnel vault and pointed doorway of c1190 with richly roll moulded head with hood mould, paired shafts (one missing to the right), all with stiff leaf capitals and C17 double plank doors.

Clerestory on the south side is slightly later than that on the north side with 7 large C17 windows inserted into the blind arcade of 21 bays.

7 bay north and south arcades, the three bays to the west of c.1185

the 4 bays to the east of c.1140.

North aisle leads into north transept with a broad C14 almost semi-circular archway with hood mould and head label stops.

South aisle leads into vestry with C12 double chamfered, semi- circular headed archway with plain moulded capitals.

Blocked south archway of c.1190 leads off screened off vestry into tower, with keeled responds and C18 panelled door inserted.

Semi- circular headed chancel arch of c.1140 with inner roll moulded order, chevroned, double fish-scale and diamond outer orders, supported on scalloped corbels and slender outer shafts with scalloped capitals.

To the south is a rectangular stair turret originally giving access to rood screen no longer extant, with ogee headed, continuously chamfered doorway

North wall of chancel with 2 bays of blocked early C13 arcade, with pointed, double chamfered heads and moulded capitals.

C15 hammer beam nave roof with delicate arched and traceried braces.

C15 aisle roofs.

Early C18 bolection moulded panelled reredos carved with a flagon, chalice and dish of rolls.

C17 six sided pulpit with curving flight of 5 steps

The font - Fonts are sacred to the church and are used to baptise people in a ritual which involves blessed water being poured over a person's head to symbolise they will be a disciple of Jesus. They are typically situated at or near the entrance to a church's nave to remind believers of how they were introduced to Christianity.

Mid C12 font partially re-cut in C17.

The font - Fonts are sacred to the church and are used to baptise people in a ritual which involves blessed water being poured over a person's head to symbolise they will be a disciple of Jesus. They are typically situated at or near the entrance to a church's nave to remind believers of how they were introduced to Christianity.

© Dave Hitchborne

3 rectangular steps with extra step for priest to west, lead up to font supported on 4 free standing columns with spiral decoration and central larger plain shaft.

Various stone fragments include 2 Anglo Saxon inscribed stones

2 stone coffins and 2 coffin lids, one C14, with ornate foliate cross inscribed

a crocket capital set into south wall, fragment of rib vault or respond and other miscellaneous carved stones including part of an octagonal shaft.

Hatchment dated 1773 and inscribed: 'L. Bullard Pinxit'.

Large canopied tomb to Sir Anthony and Elizabeth Irby, the former died 1623, with 10 composite columns on tall pedestals, supporting inscribed entablature and flattened ogee canopy crowned by large cartouche with coat of arms.

Other monuments include an ashlar cartouche with marble scrolled plaque, to Benjamin Grant, died 1734, and an ashlar and gilt monument to Benjamin Grant, died 1716, with cherubs, palms, skulls and festoons.