Church of St Mary and St David Kilpeck, England

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

KILPECK CP KILPECK SO 43 SW 2/37 Church of Saint Mary and Saint David 26.1.67 GV I

Parish church. c1134 - 40, restored in 1848 by Lewis Cottingham and in 1864 when apse refaced; bellcote rebuilt and a former south porch removed; further C20 restorations. Sandstone rubble with ashlar dressings and stone slate roof. Nave with bellcote, chancel and apse (in decreasing width and height). Nave: raised verges, pilaster buttresses and continuous corbel table decorated with flat rope ornament and carved grotesque human and animal heads to corbels, with "lamb of God" motif to corbel above doorway; semi-circular headed light to right of south door; semi-circular headed of two richly ornate and moulded orders, outer order with chevron ornament and grotesque beasts and fishes in linked medallions, inner order with similar radially arranged animal heads, curious beasts and fishes, and beakheads; Tree of Life motif to tympanum. Jambs of two orders with outer attached shafts decorated with twisting serpents and inner shaft to left with two warrior-type figures entwined in vine, the shaft to the right has twisting vine and palmette motifs. The north side of the nave has three similar pilaster buttresses and decorated corbel table, one central semi-circular headed light and an ogee headed light to the east; the west end of the nave has pilaster buttresses and again the continuous decorated corbel table, with three protruding dragon heads at the junction of the corbel table with the buttresses. Semi-circular headed window with entwined interlacing and ornament to attached shafts of jambs and to head. Chancel: trefoil headed window with label and head stops to left of doorway with 2-centred head with moulded jambs and label; similar window to north side; pilaster buttresses, partly defaced corbels to corbel label which continues around chancel and apse with zig-zag and rope ornament, primitive heads and animals and one corbel with curious fertility symbol (sheila-na-gig); "Lamb of God" at east end and string course interrupts pilaster buttresses to apse; three semi-circular headed windows with moulded jambs to east end of apse. Interior: C19 trussed rafer roof to nave and chancel. Chancel arch, semi-circular headed of two moulded orders, outer order enriched with chevron ornament and the inner with lozenges and pellets. The label also has chevron ornmanet, two orders to the responds with inner plain and outer carved with male figures representing the fathers of the church; carved and draped figures, three to each side and each standing above the other, holding attributes. Semi-circular head arch to apse of two plain orders. Ribbed vault to apse with zig-zag ornament to ribs and central boss with group of three grotesque heads. Moulded reveals to windows and grouped attached shafts to walls with cushion capitals and ribs rising above these. Fittings: Font: late C12 or early C13. Large circular bowl with curved sides supported on four slender circular piers with moulded bases and scrolled,or foliated capitals, further supported by central C20 stem and set on C20 plinth. Late C12 stoup in chancel with curious round bowl encircled by human arms and hands, with hemi-spherical base encircled by serpents extending downwards. Mid-C17 gallery at west end of nave with moulded cross-beam supported on four columns with simple moulded capitals and bases and surmounted by balustrade with turned balusters and moulded rail. Access to rear by C18 staircase with turned balusters. (RCHM, Vol I, p 156-158; BoE, p 201-202; Little, Bryan: Architecture in Norman Britain, London, 1985, pp 134-136, ills 76, 77 & 79. See also Zaenecki, George: Latin English Romanesque Sculpture, 1140 - 1210, London, 1953, esp pp 10-12).

Listing NGR: SO4451130516