Church of St Agatha Easby, England

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

EASBY EASBY NZ 10 SE

4/41 Church of St Agatha

4.2.69

GV I

Church. C12, c1200, C13 and late C14, restored 1869 by Sir G G Scott. Rubble; artificial slate, stone slate and lead roofs. 3-bay nave with west bellcote, 2-storey south porch, south aisle and north transept, 3-bay chancel. Nave, west end: C12; pilaster buttresses flank lancet with head- stops to label; C19 2-light bellcote. Porch: late C14. Offset buttress to left; double-chamfered pointed-arch doorway under label with shield stops, and a trefoil-headed niche above, and a chamfered first-floor light; line of Perpendicular roof below C19 gable; in west wall, early medieval grave cover set in plinth and chamfered stair vent; inside porch a chamfered pointed- arch doorway to east wall, 2 aumbry-like openings in west wall, chamfered and shafted south nave doorway of c1200 with head stops to label and original door; barrel vault. South aisle: late C14. Bays divided by offset buttresses. Two 2-light Perpendicular windows with hood-moulds; a 2-light chamfered mullion window. C19 ashlar parapet. Flat lead roof. East end of aisle: medieval grave covers with foliate crosses built into plinth; 3-light Perpendicular window. Artificial slate roof to nave, with ashlar copings. Nave north wall: 2 lancets with head-stops to labels. North transept: early C14. Plinth, and first-floor offset. Ground-foor window of 3 trefoiled lights; small first-floor lancet. Chancel, south side: C12. Quoins to right. Low small lancet; round-headed windows with hood-moulds flanking chamfered pointed-arch priest's doorway with head-stops to label and pilaster buttress to right; 2-light Perpendicular window; pilaster buttress. Stone slate roof. Ashlar coping, gable cross. Chancel, east end: pilaster buttresses flanking early C13 round-arched window of 3 pointed lights, with head-stops to label. Chancel, north side: early C13. From east: hollow- chamfered round-headed window; shallow projection of internal tomb recess with stone roof; 2 similar windows; low small lancet. Interior: 3-bay arcade of early C14 double-chamfered arches with labels and original chevron stencils on late C13 octagonal piers with crude capitals; smaller late C13 double-chamfered arch to south chapel; early C14 double-chamfered arch to north transept; C19 Early-English-style chancel arch. C12 bench table along west wall returns along part of north wall. Outline of round-arched north doorway. South doorway has chamfered segmental rear-arch and octagonal stoup. To west,pointed-arch doorway with C14 door to porch staircase. Above south door, Queen Anne coat of arms. In west wall of south aisle, chamfered unglazed window from porch chamber. Romanesque lead-lined font with delicate arcading on twisted colonettes and palmette frieze, on later stem. South chapel: enclosed by 2- and 3-light Perpendicular wooden screens with fragments of cresting; trefoil-headed piscina with nailhead decoration; brass on south wall to Mrs Eleanor Bowes d1623. Chancel, south side: trefoil-headed piscina with roll moulding; 3-seater sedilia with trefoil- headed arches and mid C13 paintings of bishops. North side: tomb recess with lidless coffin. Plaster cast of c700 Easby Cross, now in Victoria and Albert Museum. East window: 3 small panels of medieval glass, C12 figures of St John, a Premonstratensian Canon and a C15 angel. Wall paintings: the church possesses a unique collection of mid C13 frescoes in the chancel discovered during the C19 restoration of the church and delicately restored by Burlinson and Grylls: on the reveals of the 2 easternmost north windows are 4 Rogationtide figures depicting Sowing, Pruning, Digging and Hawking; on the north wall are scenes from the Garden of Eden; on the south wall are scenes from the Nativity and Passion. The church was served by Premonstratensian Canons from Easby Abbey. VCH i, pp 62-64.

Listing NGR: NZ1854700273