stands on a commanding situation, nearly one hundred feet above the level
of the river, on the north-eastern side of the town, and is one of the
most interesting ecclesiastical edifices in the county, displaying in its
construction almost every variety of ancient architecture, and affording
to the antiquary and man of taste a rich and unique field for
observation.
[Picture: St. Mary’s Church, N.W.]
It is a cruciform building, consisting of a nave, side aisles, transepts,
spacious chancel, two chantry chapels, and a lofty spire steeple.
In common with our early churches we have no opportunity of ascertaining
the precise date of its erection on written testimony. The probable
period of foundation has been stated, page 24; the renovation and
subsequent addition is therefore presumptive, and our decision must be
governed by analogy of style with other edifices, whose origin is
authenticated.
That the era of ancient buildings may be inferred from the internal
evidence they themselves afford of their respective antiquity admits of
little doubt; indeed, the amiable poet, Gray, who had much knowledge in
antiquarian pursuits, has said that “they constantly furnish, to the well
informed eye, arms, ornaments, and other indubitable marks by which their
several ages may be ascertained.”
There will be little difficulty in appropriating the ancient portions of
this building to distinct ages, if we except the task of assigning a
correct criteria to the curious mixture displayed in the columns which
support the semi-circular arches of the nave, where the Norman and
pointed styles are singularly blended together, the union of which will
afford matter of interesting speculation to the experienced antiquary.
William of Malmesbury has related an anecdote of the pious Wolstan,
Bishop of Worcester (from 1062 to 1095) praying, on his way to Chester,
in the _wooden church of St. Peter_, in this town, {39} and of the
“citizens asking him why he preferred it to the church which they called
St. Mary’s;”—a question we may reasonably conclude as shewing this was
then, in their opinion, from some circumstance, a church of no little
consequence.
The superior taste and enlarged views of improvement manifested by the
Normans in the arts, caused the restoration of many important churches in
much less time than a century after they had obtained the conquest of our
island.
St. Mary’s, no doubt, from its antiquity, required restoration, and
excited their early attention; but although destitute of positive data,
as before stated, from whence to ascribe a period to its re-edification,
the various improvements plainly evident in several parts of the fabric
will easily be discovered by the critical eye of the architectural
antiquary.
It may be mentioned that three distinct styles are apparent,—the
Anglo-Norman of the 12th century, in the basement of the tower, nave,
transepts, and doorways; the early lancet style in the windows of the
transepts and chancel; the pointed and obtuse arch of the 15th and 16th
century in the side aisles, clere-story, chantry, chapels, &c.
These shall be carefully examined by analysis, and the predominant
features appropriated with caution to their respective periods.
The greater part of a new structure, it is therefore conjectured, was
raised on the site of a previous Saxon building, probably early in the
reign of Henry I. This is evident from the plain circular windows
inserted in the massive basement of the tower, which, like the lower
portion of the entire building, is of red stone, and flanked by broad
flat buttresses, similar to those on the lower part of the Abbey tower.
The tower of St. Mary’s originally was probably not higher than the part
composed of red stone, and was terminated like the generality of Norman
towers, by a plain parapet.
The struggle between the Norman and pointed styles sometimes occasioned
incongruous arches, and we may attribute the rude pointed doorway of the
tower having an internal arch nearly triangular, to the reign of Stephen.
THE SOUTH PORCH of the nave is of the early Norman era, the outward arch
circular, having zigzag mouldings issuing from clustered columns, and an
inner rib, obtusely pointed; the windows on each side are curious as
early specimens of the rudiments of the mullioned window, introduced
about the time of Stephen; the arches of these windows rest on short
thick columns, and are bisected into two lights by a similar pillar as a
mullion, the capitals of which are all different; in the apex is a
quatrefoil, one of the simplest and most ancient kind of ornaments.
The ceiling of the porch is also an example of the most ancient kind of
groined vault, having neither boss nor ornament; above this is a chamber
(entered from the church by a newel staircase), and lighted by a pointed
window.
The inner doorway of the porch is an enriched round arch, with chevron,
lozenge, and foliated mouldings. That on the north side of the nave is
similar in style; and the doorways (now closed) in the north and south
transepts are very elegant specimens of the style which prevailed from
the Conquest to the time of Henry I.; the latter is decorated with
alternate lozenge panels filled with an embossed flower.
A progressive movement of refinement and beauty took place in the science
of architecture during the reign of Henry III. when the heavy Norman was
succeeded by the slender lancet arch and its attendant ornaments. The
transepts of this church are fine specimens of this transition of the
styles, the north and south ends of which are terminated by beautifully
proportioned triple lancet windows enriched with slender shafts and
mouldings.
About the close of the 15th century, a greater stateliness of character
and ornamental arrangement became the prevailing characteristic of
architectural display, and the general features of the building were
altered to the fashionable style.
The walls of the side aisles previous to this time were much lower, which
is indicated by a slope in the stone work at the west end and a pier at
the south-west, on which the roof originally rested. When the walls were
raised, three mullioned windows were substituted on each side for
round-headed lights, which narrowed towards the exterior surface of the
wall, similar, no doubt, to that still remaining at the west end.
The nave shortly afterwards received the addition of a clere-story,
lighted by a range of short windows with obtusely pointed arches,
extending the whole length of the nave and chancel.
To render these important alterations of the fabric complete, the low
massy tower was raised, and large double pointed windows were placed on
each side, and the whole surmounted with an embattled parapet and
pinnacles, which (being much decayed) were judiciously restored in 1816.
From this tower rises an octagonal spire of noble proportions, which may
be ranked as equal in height to the _third loftiest spire_ in the
kingdom, and forms an interesting and prominent object from every part of
the rich and beautiful scenery which surrounds the town.
The dimensions, as taken at the last repair in 1818, are—tower, 78 feet 4
inches; spire, to the top of vane, 141 feet 10 inches; total height, 220
feet 2 inches.
The chapel south of the chancel has a remarkably lofty roof, and on the
south side four handsome pointed windows of Henry the Sixth’s time; each
window is divided by a buttress, on which rests a crocketed pinnacle.
The eastern end of this building was originally finished by a large
window, but within its space two lofty round-headed lights, with singular
canopies in the debased style, prevalent about the reign of Queen
Elizabeth, have been inserted.
The chancel is terminated by a large window, divided by mullions into two
tiers of eight lights each, the apex being ramified into inelegant
tracery, introduced in repairing the damage which this window (and that
alluded to in the above chapel) sustained during an extreme tempest in
1579.