St Eadburga, Broadway, Worcestershire

I Location

Site Location: Broadway
National Grid Reference: SP 098 363
County: traditional: Worcestershire
now: Worcestershire
Diocese: medieval: Worcester
now: Worcester
Dedication: medieval: St Eadburga
now (or name of monument): St Eadburga
Type of building/monument: Parish church

II General Description

Built of red sandstone ashlar and rubble, plastered internally, with stone slated roof; remote from the village. Around 1400 a crossing tower was inserted into the E bay of the late 12thc. aisled nave, so its original four bays were reduced to three. The chancel is also late 12thc. The S transept is 14thc., the N transept 19thc. There is a plain round-headed blocked doorway in the N chancel wall and a plain font. Romanesque sculpture is found in the S nave arcade, and in part of the N.

IV Interior Features

2. Arcades

c. Nave

: S arcade, from W

: S arcade, from E

: S arcade, W respond, capital

: S arcade, pier 2, capital

: S arcade, pier 1, capital

: ?old bay 1

: N arcade, from SW

: N arcade, from E

: N arcade, bay 1, from NW

: N arcade, bay 1, from NW

: N arcade, pier 1, base

: N arcade, bays 2 and 3, from E

Dimensions

S arcade
w. of bay 1	3.7 m
w. of bay 2	3.7 m
w. of bay 3	3.67 m
circ. of each pier	1.77 m

N arcade
w. of bay 1	3.68 m
w. of bay 2	3.72 m
w. of bay 3	3.63 m
circ. of each pier	1.82 m

(i) S arcade

Slightly pointed, of three bays, originally four.

E respond: originally a free-standing cylindrical pier but the N half is now embedded in the SW pier of the tower. Water-holding base; plinth originally square, but rounded off in 1866 (this applies to all the piers in the arcade except for the W respond). Plain necking, trumpet scallop capital with straight cylindrical cones and deep shields; plain chamfered impost.

Bay 1: plain, slightly pointed, of two orders on N side, one on S, dying into tower wall.

Pier 1: cylindrical pier with base and plinth as E respond. Plain necking, round trumpet-scallop capital as E respond and plain chamfered impost. Some repairs.

Bay 2: as bay 1, but 1st order arch is chamfered.

Pier 2: as pier 1, but the cones have a more accentuated curve.

Bay 3: as bay 1, but arches intact.

W respond: as E respond, but with original square plinth.

(The original E responds, now set against the E tower piers, were given new capitals when the crossing tower was built.)

(ii) N arcade

Slightly pointed, of three bays, originally four. Cylindrical piers and half-cylindrical responds on water-holding bases, plain neckings, moulded capitals, except for those of the E respond and pier 2, both with trumpet scallop capitals (the shields pointed on pier 2), and plain chamfered imposts. The E respond was originally a free-standing pier, as its counterpart in the S arcade, but is now half embedded in the NW tower pier. The arches are of two orders on the N face, one on the S; bays 1 and 3 have plain arches, bay 2 has the 1st order arch chamfered, the 2nd hollow-chamfered.

V Furnishings

1. Fonts

(i)

: Font

Plain, conical and made of yellow oolitic limestone with damage at the rim where hinge and hasp were removed. Badly broken and then repaired. Set on later plinth. Date uncertain.

Dimensions

h. of bowl	0.56 m
diam. of bowl	0.73 m
int. diam. of bowl	0.54 m
d. of bowl	0.34 m
circ. of bowl	2.25 m

VII History

The manor of Broadway belonged to Pershore Abbey up to the Dissolution, and it was already a property of the monastery in the 10thc. In 1086 two-and-a-half hides were claimed by Urse. There was a priest at Broadway at that time; the advowson belonged to the Abbot and convent of Pershore.

VIII Comments/Opinions

Pevsner dates the earliest work toc.1200. The N nave arcade is later than that of the S, although there are some common features. Its stone also shows greater iron staining.

IX Bibliography

N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England. Worcestershire, Harmondsworth 1968, 102.
The Victoria History of the Counties of England. Worcestershire, vol. IV, London 1924, 33-43.