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St Andrew, Witchford, Cambridgeshire

Location
(52°23′8″N, 0°12′30″E)
Witchford
TL 504 787
pre-1974 traditional (England and Wales) Cambridgeshire
now Cambridgeshire
medieval St Andrew
now St Andrew
  • Ron Baxter
  • Ron Baxter
05 August 2003

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Feature Sets
Description

Aisleless nave, chancel and W tower, all in rubble with brick repairs, especially to the tower. The nave has N and S doorways, the former under a brick porch. A date stone over the N doorway indicates a restoration in 1887. The tower is 13thc., and the later nave is canted to connect with it. The apparent date of nave and chancel is early 14thc., but the consecration date of 1376 indicates that it must be later. The only 12thc. feature is a beast head corbel reset in the nave W wall to the N of the tower.

History

Witchford was among the manors given to Ely by Brithnoth and Ethelwold in the 10thc. and it was held by the Abbey in 1086. When Ely became a cathedral Witchford remained with the convent. It was assessed at 3 hides in 1086.

Features

Exterior Features

Exterior Decoration

Miscellaneous
Comments/Opinions

The head was first noticed by Johnson (1984), who remarked on the scarcity of figural sculpture in the county. Its provenance is not known.

Bibliography
J. Bentham, The History and Antiquities of the Conventual and Cathedral Church of Ely. Norwich 1912, 75.
G. R. Bossier, Notes on the Cambridgeshire Churches. 1827, 72.
  1. S. Bradley and N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England: Cambridgeshire, New Haven and London 2014, 710-11.
The Ecclesiastical and Architectural Topography of England: Cambridgeshire (Architectural Institute of Great Britain and Ireland), Oxford 1852, 115.
C. H. Evelyn-White, County Churches: Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely. London 1911, 204.
F. S. L. Johnson, A Catalogue of Romanesque Sculpture in Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely. M.Phil (London, Courtauld Institute), 1984.
D. and S. Lysons, Magna Britannia. Cambridgeshire II, pt I, London 1808, 293.
N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England. Cambridgeshire, Harmondsworth 1954 (2nd ed. 1970), 504-05.
The Victoria History of the County of Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely, IV, 1953, 177-78.