Church of St James England, UK

Listed Building Description

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

RAWCLIFFE HIGH STREET SE 62 SE (south side) 3/27 Church of St James GV II Parish church. 1842 by W Hurst and W B Moffatt of Doncaster, with chancel and vestry of 1910. Early section in grey brick with sandstone ashlar dressings and spire, slate roof; additions in red brick with limestone ashlar dressings and plain tile roof. Gothic Revival style. West tower with north and south doors, 4-bay nave, 3-bay chancel with south chapel, north organ chamber and vestry adjoining north side. Chamfered ashlar plinth to tower and nave. 2-stage tower: angle buttresses with offsets, triple-chamfered doors with hoodmoulds and carved angel stops, and pointed niches above with hoodmould, angel stops and figure of Christ on corbelled base; west lancet with sill string course, hoodmould and headstops; clockfaces in cusped ashlar surrounds to north, south and west. Weathered string course to belfry with recessed panels containing triple lancet belfry openings below corbel table. Octagonal broach spire with finial and weather-vane. Nave: buttresses at angles and between bays, sill string course, triple stepped lancets with hoodmoulds and headstops, moulded string course, coped gables with carved head kneelers to west end. Chancel: moulded plinth, angle buttresses, flush ashlar bands at sill and impost level, pointed and square-headed 2-light traceried north and south windows, and pointed 5-light east window, with hoodmoulds; pointed west door, square- headed and pointed windows to vestry; moulded lead rainwater heads, coped gable and parapets. Interior. Tower has pointed chamfered door to nave, moulded plaster cornice and ceiling, inscribed board bearing details of 1842 rebuilding. Wide nave, open to chancel, organ chamber and south chapel, has west gallery with Gothic-panelled front carried on cast-iron quatrefoiled columns; pointed double-chamfered tower arch above. Complete set of box pews, incorporating pedestals of former cast-iron columns for north and south galleries. 8-bay roof with queen struts and cusped panels, ceiled- over at collar level. Chancel: single pointed moulded arches to north and south on filleted and keeled piers and responds, with springers to west for incompleted nave aisles; Tudor-arched north and south doors, cinquefoiled piscina with carved spandrels; 3-bay boarded arch-braced roof with painted inscription and decoration. C19 octagonal font with quatrefoiled and traceried panels. Octagonal wooden pulpit with traceried panels, moulded base and staircase with wreathed handrail and turned balusters. Oval marble wall tablet in south aisle to Ann Peacock of 1801; marble bust in south chapel of Ralph Creyke of 1859 by M Noble of London. N Pevsner, The Buildings of England: Yorkshire, West Riding, 1959, p 399.

Listing NGR: SE6849722965