• Home
• News
• About
• Searching and Browsing
  • Find a Location
  • Find a Feature
  • Find a Word
  • Browse
  • Progress Status
• Resources
• Contact Us

I Location

II General Description

St Giles's is a large church with a freestanding tower to the SE. The church has a six-bay aisled nave with late 12thc. or early 13thc. arcades and later N and S doorways, the N under a porch. The present, Perpendicular, clerestory is higher than the original, which can still be seen on the outside as a series of round or slightly pointed arches. The chancel was destroyed in a gale in 1741, although the early 13thc. chancel arch survives. It was rebuilt shorter the following year and finally taken down in the 1868 restoration. This was undertaken by the Rector, Canon John Scott, under the direction of his brother, Sir George Gilbert Scott. Construction is of roughly coursed stones with brick repairs. The freestanding tower, begun in the 13thc., is of three storeys, the lowest of stone rubble, the second rendered for most of its height, and the remainder of brick. The ground floor was originally open on all four sides. The nave arcades and chancel arch are described here, although all probably date from the early years of the 13thc.

III Exterior Features

2. Windows

(i) Chancel, blocked windows

For possible blocked windows alongside chancel arch, see IV.1.a.

IV Interior Features

1. Arches

a. Chancel arch/Apse arches

(i) Chancel arch

Of two orders to E and W, pointed.

First order (shared): coursed half-columns with stiff-leaf capitals, roll neckings and beaked imposts. In the arch a pair of angle rolls separated by a quirk.

Second order (E and W): attached (coursed) nook shafts with stiff-leaf capitals, roll neckings and imposts continuous from the first order. The arch has an angle roll with hollows on face and soffit. The label is hollow chamfered with an angle roll between the chamfer and the face. To L and R of the arch are blind, round-headed arches, perhaps earlier windows.

2. Arcades

c. Nave

(i) N arcade

Of six bays, round headed except for Bay vi which is pointed. All bays have arches with two chamfered orders to N and S.

E respond: two orders to N and S, first on half columns, second on either side with coursed nook shafts. Stiff leaf capitals with roll neckings and imposts similar to those on chancel arch.

Pier 1: Circular in coursed ashlar. Round capital with flat leaves, alternately broad and narrow, with a central keel. At the tips of some survive ball terminals resting on the octagonal abacus of the capital. Impost circular and chamfered. Plain roll necking. Arch as bay (i).

Pier 2: As pier 1, but the capital is multi scallop with wedges between scallops, and a pair of subsidiary shields on each shield. There is no abacus. Impost, necking and arch as pier 1.

Pier 3: As pier 2, but the capital has narrower scallops with wedges between them, and an inscribed circle on each shield.

Pier 4: As pier 1 but with a circular abacus.

Pier 5: As Pier 3 but shields are defined by an inscribed line.

W respond: As E respond except for capitals, which are scalloped with cones between the scallops. The shields are treated as pier 2, and another row of semi-discs on the abacus above forms a fish-scale pattern.

(ii) S arcade

Of six bays, round headed except for Bay vi which is pointed. All bays have arches with two chamfered orders to N and S.

E respond: as N arcade E respond.

Pier 1: Circular with stiff leaf capital with roll necking. The abacus is octagonal, as is the impost above. The latter has a beaked profile similar to the chancel arch capitals.

Pier 2: Circular pier with an octagonal capital with circular roll necking. The capital is multi scallop, treated as N arcade W respond. Chamfered octagonal impost.

Pier 3: Circular pier with an octagonal capital with circular roll necking. The capital is carved with stiff leaf. Chamfered octagonal impost.

Pier 4: Circular pier with capital as Pier 2. Octagonal beaked impost as chancel arch.

Pier 5: As pier 3. W respond: as N arcade W respond.

VII History

VIII Comments/Opinions

Pevsner dates the S arcade a little later than the N on account of the presence of stiff-leaf capitals, but the use of both the beaked and simple chamfered impost profiles on both arcades implies that they belong together. The extra decorative emphasis given to the chancel arch is more likely to have liturgical significance than to indicate a later date. Signs of an earlier church survive in the blocked E windows of the nave.

IX Bibliography