St Lawrence, Barton-on-the-Heath, Warwickshire

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Location
(51°59′25″N, 1°37′42″W)
Site Location
Barton-on-the-Heath
National Grid Reference
SP 256 325
Boundaries
pre-1974 traditional (England and Wales) Warwickshire now Warwickshire
Diocese
medieval Worcester now Coventry
Dedication
Type of building/monument
Report authors
  • Harry Sunley

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Description

Nave and chancel with W tower and saddleback roof. S aisle and porch. Material, local Cotswold type stone. 12thc. features include the lower stage of the tower, the chancel arch, S and N doorways to the nave, two plain windows in the W wall, and one with sculpture in the N wall.

Features

Exterior Features

Doorways

Windows

Interior Features

Arches

Chancel arch/Apse arches

Loose Sculpture

Comments/Opinions

The interlacing designs are unusual for Warwickshire (Stoneleigh N tympanum, and Offchurch chancel N window have them). Pevsner suggests the probability of an earlier Anglo-Danish church on the site, followed by a late Norman church.

It is possible that the N window lintel could have been a tympanum from an earlier doorway.

VCH states that the chancel and nave are early 12thc., but that there seems to have been some attempt at enhancing the chancel arch and chancel window. Pevsner's view is that that the carving was the result of a start being made on carving the arch. In favour of this is the fact the carvings are sunk into the voussoir. However, one might question whether the carvings are of a stylistic later date. Three other features are relevant; firstly, as mentioned above, the voussoir concerned subtends a greater angle than its peers (18 degrees against an average for the arch of 7.5 degrees); it has a radius of curvature statistically smaller than the average (mean + 3 standard deviations = 83 against average of 1.12 m) using three different methods of assessment; finally, the material is different in colour. It may also be relevant that the corresponding voussoir on the west face is also larger and of a lighter colour than its peers; it is not a continuation of the carved voussoir. It is possible that the carving on the soffit was carried out in situ, or that the carving is a reused block, perhaps partially reshaped.

Bibliography

VCH 5:13

Pevsner and Wedgewood, 86