West Bridgford
St Giles

Archaeology

The medieval church now forms the south aisle of the extended church.

Stonework around
the priest's door

Earliest fabric is late C12th / early C13th in the old chancel, especially evident at the priest's door

C14th alterations – low canopy arch now in north chapel and windows in choir vestry

C15th nave wall raised and clerestory installed

C16th windows in south wall replaced, tower built

1833 chancel repaired, flat ceiling put in, which blocked part of the two main east windows, singing loft over chancel screen removed together with the staircase on the south side that led to it

1871-2 restoration: chancel walls and roof raised

1896-8 church extension: central nave and new chancel built; old chancel arch placed over entrance to old chancel, gabled roof replaced by extension of flat battlement roof, new clerestory

1911-12 church extension: northern aisle, George chapel, vestries

1934 repairs and chancel arch returned, as far as possible, to its original position

Other Features

The wooden screen at the old chancel is late C14th.

Piscina, aumbry
and sedilia

Square piscina and aumbry and ogee-headed double sedilia with traceried spandrels on the south wall of the Lady Chapel (originally the chancel).

The octagonal font is C14th.

There are said to be a few fragments of medieval glass in the new stained glass window at the east end of the old south aisle.

Blocked doorway
near porch
Blocked doorway
into tower

There are two blocked doorways:

  • To the west of the porch – it is not known when this was blocked
  • Doorway into the tower from the south side – blocked in restoration of 1871

In the ringing chamber of the tower, the positions of timber supports can be seen, perhaps associated with the singing loft installed in 1807.

Medieval Cross-slabs

Cross slabs 1
and 2
Cross slab 2

(1) Cross slab floor stone now set in the floor of the tower, at its north-west corner, and partially concealed by furniture including a heavy safe. Rectangular slab with border and black-letter inscription, cut away on the left, and largely concealed on the right. Straight-arm, cross with fleur-de-lys terminals, with a hint of a swept base, and even fainter vestiges of an emblem, perhaps a chalice, on the left.

The stone, which is thought to have been moved from the chancel to its present position in 1871, is described in Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Notes and Queries, February 18961, p.29: it is identified as the memorial of William Wragby priest here c1437-1450, and the inscription (missing parts bracketed) given as:

[Hic] iacet dns Willelms
Wragby [quondam] rector istius ecclsie [q]ui
Obit x°i die [I]unii [anno
Millmoccccl cui’ anime ppiciet Deus. Amen]

In the south-west corner of the same floor, in front of the doorway to the tower stair, is a stone with an indent for a brass inscription and small figure, and in the centre of the floor is another with traces of a panel with a traces of a black-letter inscription.

(2) The external opening of the small loop window in the west wall of the south porch is cut into a single slab (now cracked) which has been a small cross slab; all that remains visible of the incised design are parts of the head of a small crudely-laid-out round-leaf bracelet cross.

Note 1. With thanks to David Dunford for tracing this reference.

Descriptions and drawings of the cross slabs courtesy of Peter Ryder.

Technical Summary

Timbers and roofs

NAVE CHANCEL TOWER
Main Cross ties with central decorative bosses, curved braces onto stone brackets; moulded ridge and side purlins, rafters and planking above. All probably 1896 & 1911.
As north aisle. 1896 & 1911
 
S.Aisle
(original nave) Low pitch, central, moulded ties, ridge and side purlins, oak, date unknown but restored prob. 1871-2.
(original chancel) as original nave mouldings distinct, perhaps late medieval.  
N.Aisle
Similar to nave but with pronounced braces. 1896 & 1911.
   
Other principal      
Other timbers South porch has pitched, pine roof. 1871-2 or 1896.    

Bellframe

4-bay iron frame set onto steel girders, Pickford Group 8.3.A with braces bolted to cills; Taylors of Loughborough 1956.

Not Scheduled for preservation Grade 5.

Walls

NAVE CHANCEL TOWER
Plaster covering & date No plaster or paint, open stonework. No plaster or paint, open stonework. Not covered, open stonework.
Potential for wall paintings None. Traces of pigment and plaster which survived the restoration, particularly on a stone in the west end of the south wall of the chancel, at c. 2m high. None.

Excavations and potential for survival of below-ground archaeology

In 1988, the church decided to build a new hall just outside the north-west angle of the church, with a covered way from the north door to the hall. Colin Maber Associates Ltd were contracted to carry out an archaeological investigation into the site. A geophysical survey was undertaken by A Aspinall and S J Dockrill in March 1988. This identified a linear feature which was thought likely to be a drain but, since auger boreholes revealed the presence of hard standing, it was recommended that a trench 1m x 4m be dug to verify this. The report by C J Merrony and R E Sydes on the excavation found no significant archaeological features down to a depth of 0.92m. There were, however, layers of rubble infill, suggesting that the area may once have been tiled or flagged. Some of the rubble was 17th century in origin and probably came from the demolition of nearby buildings during the extension of the church.

The church comprises original nave (now south aisle), chancel, and west tower which are medieval C13th-C15th, and central nave, north aisle, chancel, and vestry extensions to the north-east all of which date from the restoration of 1896 and 1911. There was also a major restoration in 1871-2.

The churchyard is rectangular in shape with the church offset to the north; there are burials on the south and east sides, there is no space to the west and to the north lies the late C19th - early C20th church which may have had burials prior, and which may still exist below the floors of the extended church.

The overall potential for the survival of below-ground archaeology in the historic churchyard is considered to be MODERATE-HIGH comprising medieval construction evidence, evidence for the C19th and C20th construction, burials, and landscaping. Below the present interior floors of the body of the church it is considered to be MODERATE-HIGH comprising medieval-C19th stratigraphy with post-medieval burials but much disturbance of 1871-2, 1896, and 1911; below the medieval tower the potential is considered to be HIGH-VERY HIGH. The archaeology of the upstanding fabric is a mix of medieval and 1896-1911 and its archaeological potential is MODERATE-HIGH, with the medieval sections of the old nave, chancel, and west tower being VERY HIGH.

Exterior: Burial numbers expected to be average. Some considerable disturbance from the 1896 and 1911 works will probably be encountered.

Interior: Stratigraphy under the footprint of the old building is likely to be medieval at depth with later layers, except perhaps for the tower which may be largely medieval; the stratigraphy is likely to be punctuated by medieval and post-medieval burials. In the later extension church much is expected to be 1896-1911 construction layers though with perhaps medieval at depth.