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St Laurence, Northfield, Worcestershire

Location
(52°24′42″N, 1°57′52″W)
Northfield
SP 025 793
pre-1974 traditional (England and Wales) Worcestershire
now West Midlands
medieval Worcester
now Birmingham
  • G. L. Pearson
  • Harry Bodenham
16 July 1993 (GLP), 03 August 1994 (HB)

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Feature Sets
Description

Northfield is now a residential area on the S outskirts of Birmingham. Traditionally it was in Worcestershire, but in 1912 the civil parish was given over to Birmingham (then in Warwickshire). Thus for the period from 1912 until 1974 it was in Warwickshire, which was where it was recorded in Pevsner (1966), and why it was recorded by two fieldworkers independently for this project. This report is synthesised from the reports of Harry Bodenham and G. L. Pearson, and includes photographs from both.

St Laurence's is a sandstone church, comprising a W tower, a nave with N and S aisles, the former built in 1900, and a chancel. Romanesque sculpture is found in the N doorway of the nave, reset into the modern aisle wall, and on carved fragments inset into the N and S faces of the later medieval tower.

History

The manor of Northfield formed part of the barony of Dudley, and descended with it until the early 14thc. In 1086 it was held by William Fitz Ansculf, lord of Dudley, to whom it had passed from Aelfwold. The church of Northfield was granted to the priory of Dudley by Gervase Paynel when he founded the latterc.1160, and was thereafter held by the prior and convent.

Features

Exterior Features

Doorways

Exterior Decoration

Miscellaneous
Comments/Opinions

The N doorway probably dates from c.1170. The heads inset into the tower are crude and eroded, but they are probably Romanesque. They could be reused corbels.

Bibliography

The Victoria History of the Counties of England. Worcestershire, vol.III. London 1913, 194-200, 199.

N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England. Warwickshire. Harmondsworth 1966, 193-94.