St Swithun, Long Bennington, Lincolnshire

I Location

Site Location
Long Bennington
National Grid Reference
SK 844 434
County
traditional: Lincolnshire
now: Lincolnshire
Diocese
medieval: Lincoln
now: Lincoln
Dedication
medieval: not confirmed
now (or name of monument): St Swithun
Type of building/monument
Parish church

II General Description

Exterior, general view of church

Exterior, general view of church

The church consists of nave with side aisles, chancel, W tower, and S porch dating primarily from the 13thc. through the 15thc. centuries. Restoration of ceiling and chancel area undertaken in 1902-3. The S porch doorway has Romanesque nook shafts and capitals.

III Exterior Features

1. Doorways

(i) S doorway, nave

Exterior, nave, S doorway

Exterior, nave, S doorway

Exterior, L side capital and nook shaft

Exterior, L side capital and nook shaft

Pointed, two orders.

First order: chamfered jambs carry polygonal chamfered imposts. Pointed arch is chamfered.

Second order: bases cut back to same diameter as nook-shafts so impossible to tell original base shapes. Nook-shafts are polygonal. Capitals are multi-scallop with arris between scallops; necking is chamfered on both top and bottom of moudling with a flat face. The impost has a hollow chamfer with quirk above it. Imposts are of one piece of stone with the capital but are distinct from the polygonal imposts of the first order jambs. The 13thc. arch is pointed.

Dimensions
h. of opening 2.74 m
w. of opening 1.795 m

VII History

The Domesday Survey records both a church and a priest in Long Bennington. In 1086 the primary landholder of the village was Count Alan.

VIII Comments/Opinions

Though Pevsner calls the nook-shafts 'Norman' it is doubtful that they are of the same piece with the Romanesque capitals. The diameter of the nook-shafts is smaller than the capital neckings and make for an ill fit between shaft and capital. That the imposts of the capitals and those of the first order are separate is clear from the fact that they are not made of the same piece of stone (clear mortar joint between them) and the scale of the continuous hollow chamfer changes between these architectural elements.

IX Bibliography

  • Domesday Book: Lincolnshire. 12,49.
  • N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England: Lincolnshire. London 1990, 533-34.