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I Location

II General Description

It is probably fairest to describe Holy Cross as a church of 1876 and 1900–02, built reusing some medieval features. It is on a tiny site with a churchyard no larger than the gardens of the nearby houses. Construction is of flint with a neo-Tudor W gable. The building has a nave and S aisle with a wooden arcade between, and an aisleless chancel with a S vestry. The saddleback-roofed tower rises from the angle between the chancel and the E end of the S aisle. The S nave doorway is a reused 12thc. piece, and its companion has been reused as the internal W tower arch. The N tower arch is broader but of a similar design, and must originally have been a chancel arch. The font, described as 12thc. by the VCH, is illustrated here but is surely 18thc. as Pevsner suggests.

III Exterior Features

1. Doorways

(i) S Nave doorway

Two orders, round-headed, of shelly limestone reset in 19thc. aisle wall.

First order: plain square jambs, hollow chamfered imposts with angle roll, plain square arch.

Second order: En-delit nook shafts on bases with a roll above a convex moulding. The W capital has leaves at the angles terminating in volutes. In the centre of each face is a smaller leaf with a stem rising from the necking and a vertical rib. The bell is visible between the leaves. Roll necking and imposts continuous from the first order. The E capital has angle leaves with central ribs, terminating in volutes. The bell is visible between the leaves. In the arch an unusual chevron design with single-roll lateral chevron on face and soffit intersecting in a cogwheel effect at the angle. In the triangular fields of the soffit chevrons are pellets. The label is chamfered with a single row of billet on the chamfer.

Dimensions

IV Interior Features

1. Arches

b. Tower/Transept arches

(i) Tower arch

W arch, at E end of S nave aisle.

Of two orders, round headed. Identical to the S nave doorway except that two of the triangular fields of the soffit chevron on the second order are decorated with palmettes, the remainder with pellets, and the label has an angle roll in place of billet ornament.

Dimensions

(ii) N arch, in S wall of chancel

Originally a chancel arch; now used to house the organ keyboard. Of two orders, round-headed. First order has plain square jambs, no capitals but hollow chamfered imposts with a roll at the lower edge of the face, and a plain chamfered arch. Second order has en-delit nook-shafts, the E capital a simple volute, and the W with ribbed volutes, roll neckings and imposts as first order. The arch has an angle roll, then frontal face chevron, the soffit fields uncarved. There is a chamfered label with a groove on the face.

Dimensions

V Furnishings

1. Fonts

(i)

See general description.

VII History

In 1086 Stuntney was held by the Abbot of Ely as a Berewick of his manor of Ely.

VIII Comments/Opinions

IX Bibliography