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Boraston Church, Boraston, Shropshire

Location
(52°19′36″N, 2°34′9″W)
Boraston Church, Boraston
SO 613 700
pre-1974 traditional (England and Wales) Shropshire
now Shropshire
medieval Hereford
now Hereford
  • Barbara Zeitler
  • Ron Baxter
  • Barbara Zeitler
  • Ron Baxter
07 Nov 1999 (BZ), 13 June 2023 (RB)

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Description

Boraston is a village on the southern edge of Shropshire, close to the borders with Worcestershire and Herefordshire. The nearest town of any size is Kidderminster (Worcs), 17 miles to the east. The church stands in the centre of the village and consists of a long 4-bay nave with a raised chancel with a polygonal apse, and a modern N vestry. A tower at the W end of the nave has a S porch covering a 12thc doorway that was moved to this position from bay 3 of the nave. The N nave doorway is in its original position but blocked. The tower has a datestone for 1884 and consists of an ashlar lower storey, a weatherboarded bell stage and a shingled broach spire. The apse is also dated 1884, and the author of this restoration was Henry Curzon, paid for by Lord Northwick of Burford House, across the road. Romanesque work recorded here are the 2 doorways. A font of disputed date is also included.

History

Boraston was assessed with Burford in the Domesday Survey, and was held by Osbern FitzRichard, Baron of Burford, and continued in this line until the death of Osbern FitzHugh in 1185, when the Barony passed to his brother, Hugh de Say. From him it passed to his son, and thence to his daughter's husband, Hugh de Ferrers. Meanwhile Boraston was granted to Worcester Priory.

The church was formerly a chapel dependent on Burford.

Features

Exterior Features

Doorways

Furnishings

Fonts

Comments/Opinions

Pevsner (1958) dates the font to c.1700, as does the List Description. Newman (2006) does not repeat the dating, or mention the font at all. The presence of a staple to secure the lid strongly suggests that the font was in place by the end of the 13thc.

The S doorway appears to be built with the W tower and is probably of the same date. It is just possible that it was a heavily restored doorway of c.1200 reset from the 3rd bay of the nave, but as it does not match the original, and earlier, N doorway this seems unlikely.

Bibliography

D. H. S. Cranage, An architectural account of the churches of Shropshire, part 3, London 1894-1912, 236.

  1. W. Eyton, Antiquities of Shropshire, 12 vols, London 1854-60. vol. 4, 326-27.

Historic England Listed Building. English Heritage Legacy ID: 483834

  1. J. Newman and N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England: Shropshire New Haven and London 2006, 156-57.

N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England: Shropshire, Harmondsworth 1958, 77.