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I Location

II General Description

St Mary's has a nave with three-bay aisles and a clerestorey. The two E bays of the N arcade are round-headed with scallop capitals and chevron on the arches, c.1150-70. The corresponding bays on the S are slightly later, with waterleaf and chamfered arch orders. The third bay on each side is an addition of c.1225. The tower stands at the E end of the S aisle, the bay below it now housing the organ. It is later 12thc. in its lower parts, with a simple S doorway and a plain window above. The S nave doorway is late 12thc. and stands under a porch. The N porch has been blocked and converted into a vestry. The chancel is described by Pevsner as 'an over-restoration of 1844.' Romanesque sculpture is found in the E bays of both arcades, the two S doorways and the S tower window.

III Exterior Features

1. Doorways

(i) S Nave doorway

Pointed, two orders.

Dimensions

First order

The jambs are coursed half-columns (actually half-ovals) facing one another across the opening. They stand on water-holding attic bases, curiously positioned on smaller drum plinths which stand on square socles. The capitals are also half-oval, their bells carved with waterleaf, with imposts also half-oval in plan, and hollow chamfered with a double roll on the face. The arch has a soffit roll. The order may, in fact, originally have been carried on twin half-columns with twin capitals and twin rolls on the soffit. This is what is suggested by what appears to be cutting back visible on the N face of the order.

Second order

En-delit nook-shafts, of which only the W base survives. It is attic and stands on a two-step chamfered socle. The capitals are again waterleaf, but this time square in plan, with square imposts of the same profile as the First order. The arch has a keeled angle rollwith alternating rolls and hollows on the face and soffit. The label has a roll and hollow and a thin roll at the extrados.

(ii) Tower, S doorway

Round-headed, one order.

Jambs and arch are plain and chamfered, with only imposts. These are hollow chamfered with an angle roll at the lower edge of the face. The label is chamfered.

Dimensions

2. Windows

(i) Tower, S window

Round headed, chamfered, continuous. The chamfered label has a droplet-shaped stop at the W end only.

IV Interior Features

2. Arcades

c. Nave

(i) N arcade

Three bays, all round-headed. Bays 1 and 2 are 12thc. and described in detail below; bay 3 is 13thc., with two-order chamfered arch carried on half-column responds with moulded capitals.

The arches of bays 1 and 2 are of two orders. The first has a fat soffit roll on a step with an angle rolltowards the nave and a chamfer towards the aisle. The second, towards the nave, has point-to-point lozenges on face and soffit, the lozenges enclosing pyramids, and the outer triangles on the face recessed with a raised border and central ridge. It is enclosed by a chamfered label. Towards the aisle this order is plain with no label. E respond, two orders. The first order has a half-column carrying a multi-scallop capital with double wedges between the cones and plain shields. The necking is chamfered and the impost quirked hollow chamfered. The SW angles of the capital and impost have been replaced, and all the shields retooled. The second order towards the nave has an en-delit nook-shaft carrying a cushion capital, its shield decorated with rows of beading along its upper and lower edges. Inside the lower beading is a semicircular ridge. On the bell there are rows of vertical beading flanked by ridges on the angle and at the centre of each face. The necking is chamfered and the impost as that of the First order. The capital is a copy of its equivalent on pier 2. The second order towards the aisle is plain and square. Pier 1 is cylindrical with a square multi-scallop capital with double wedges between the cones and plain shields. The necking is chamfered and the impost as those of the E respond. Pier 2 has a respond identical to the E respond on its E face (its W face has the half-column respond for the 13thc. bay 3). The capitals of both orders to the E are original.

(ii) S arcade

Three bays, all round-headed, the arches all of two chamfered orders and the piers cylindrical with half-column responds at each end of the arcade. The E respond and pier 1 are 12thc.; pier 2 and the W respond 13thc. with moulded capitals. Both 12thc. capitals are circular (or semicircular), the bell decorated with large waterleaves. The imposts have a slender hollow overhung by a roll.

VII History

One hide at Duddington belonged to the royal manor of Gretton in 1086, and a priest was recorded on this land (although RCHME Report, uncatalogued suggests that he may have been the priest of Gretton). The chapel at Duddington was mentioned in a bull of Eugenius III to Lincoln Cathedral in 1146. In 1246 the church was possessed by the vicar of Gretton.

VIII Comments/Opinions

Waterleaf capitals similar to those in the S arcade are found at nearby Warmington. The arrangement of the doorway is most unusual; it may be a reset porch entrance.

IX Bibliography