St Nicholas, Baddesley Ensor, Warwickshire

I Location

Site Location: Baddesley Ensor
National Grid Reference: SP 271 986
County: traditional: Warwickshire
now: Warwickshire
Diocese: medieval: Worcester
now: Birmingham
Dedication: medieval: not confirmed
now (or name of monument): St Nicholas
Type of building/monument: Parish church

II General Description

: Church Plan

This church, of 1848, by Henry Chetton, replaces an earlier one, which contained 12thc. sculpture. None of the latter is preserved in the new church, but outside, at the base of the tower, are a number of voussoirs reassembled to form an arch.

III Exterior Features

3. Exterior Decoration

d. Miscellaneous

: Reassembled arch fragments.

Dimensions

total w. of arch	1.36 m
h. of arch	0.79 m
w. of opening	0.76 m

(i) Voussoirs

In the churchyard at the S side of the tower 11 voussoirs have been formed into an arch. Voussoir 5 has no surface decoration, voussoir 7 is barely readable and there appears to be a fragment with pellet decoration wedged between voussoirs five and six. The rest of the voussoirs are carved with two rows of centrifugal chevron lateral to the face, with cogwheel edge. The chevron is of the profile roll/hollow, with a fine roll flanking the hollow.

VII History

Baddesley Ensor was formerly in the parish of Polesworth, and there was said to be a chapel dedicated to St.Nicholas which belonged to Polesworth Nunnery.

VIII Comments/Opinions

Prior to the 1960s the arch was situated above a passageway between cottages in Church Row, some distance away, and recorded by Pevsner in that position. (See entry on Atherston for details of a complete doorway of three orders taken from the church at Baddesley Ensor when it was demolished).

IX Bibliography

VCH Warwickshire 4:19 to 21