Church of St Martin Kingsbury Episcopi, England

Text courtesy of Historic England. © Crown Copyright, reprinted under the Open Government License.

ST4321 KINGSBURY EPISCOPI CP CHURCH STREET (North side)

8/113 Church of St. Martin

17.4.59

GV I

Anglican parish church. C14, C15, C19 restoration. Coursed and squared lias and Hamstone, tile and lead-sheeting roofs, coped verges, chancel with a cruciform finial. Nave, north and south aisles, chancel, north and south chancel chapels, east vestry projects, west tower. Predominantly Perpendicular. Very elaborate lofty 3-stage tower, embattled pierced parapet, corner pinnacles with secondary pinnacles and intermediate pinnacles, quatrefoil band below the parapet, set-back buttresses which terminate at the second stage with shafts with pinnacles which ascend to the third stage, gargoyles; further quatrefoil bands at plinth level, and halfway up the first stage; paired 2-light bell-chamber windows with Somerset tracery, quatrefoil grilles, transoms, flanking shafts with pinnacles, clock on 2 faces. Ringing-chamber stage with a large transomed window with quatrefoil grilles, Somerset tracery, flanking crocketed niches with figures, one missing, some slighted; bottom stage again with niches for figures, 2 headless to west flanking doorway; pair of modern figures to south, a war memorial, also 4 achievements in relief; transomed 5-light west window, emphasised door opening, foliate spandrels, paired ribbed and studded doors; topping polygonal stair-turret to the north. Four bay aisles, 3-light traceried Perpendicular windows, labels, buttresses, tomb recess to the south-west corner, north and south doorways, rood-turret to the north with battlements. South aisle embattled, large gargoyles, 2-storayed porch, floor to upper room now removed, buttresses, small 2-light front-facing window, stair-turret, embattled parapet with a central figure of the crucifixion and a finial, simple double-chamfered outer door opening, pair fine C18 wooden dog gates with wrought-iron cresting, inside benched on flag-stone floors, C19 roof, moulded inner door opening with carved heads as label stops, early ribbed and studded door; above a cusped niche. South chapel a continuation of the south aisle, embattled, gargoyles, a 3 and a 4-light window. Very fine north chapel of a single bay, 4 and 5-light mullioned and transomed window with good tracery. Very large 5-light transomed window with tracery to the north and south sides of the chancel, further 5-light east window, pierced parapet, gargoyles. Single-storeyed east vestry, pierced parapet, gargoyles, a 2- and a 4-light window. Interior plastered on flagstone floors. Roofs all C19; wagon to nave with carved banding, rests on medieval angel corbels; lean-to's to the aisles with ribbing; lean-to roof to south chancel chapel on medieval angel corbels; tie-beam roof to north chapel, though may incorporate medieval work. Elaborate fan-vault under tower. Panelled tower arch with east buttresses right inside the nave that must have been decided on for reasons of structural security, decorated with 2 tiers of niches and a second panelled arch is struck from one to the other. C14 aisle arcades of 4 bays, octagonal piers, moulded caps. Late Perpendicular lofty and slender chancel arch, foliate banding to the caps. In conforming style the paired arches to the chancel chapels, 4-centred arch heads. Panelled arch between aisle and north chapel. Arch between aisle and south chapel supported on 2 angel busts. Very fine C15 rood screen of 5 bays, restored 1955, tall 4-light sections, the middle mullion reaching up into the apex, each 4-light arch has 2 sub-arches, 2 leaf friezes to the cornice. Re-cut octagonal C14 font, large late C19 tester. Piscina to north chapel. Altar table dated 1728. Chest dated Ills. Jacobean coffin stool. Much mid C19 work including pews, box pews, pulpit, choir stalls, altar rails and altar table. Painted decoration to east end. Two C18 and 2 C19 wall monuments. Fragments of C15 stained glass to top lights of chapel and chancel windows. Mid C19 glass