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Listing Description

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Balderton
St Giles

Archaeology

The church is built of coursed rubble and ashlar. It has slate roof 20th century extension with stone coped gables with kneelers and two ridge crosses.

Tower with crocketed spire

West doorway

There is a c.1400 crocketed spire with one tier of crocketed lucarnes of the Lincolnshire-Newark type. The 13th century tower which has three stages with four string courses is set on a plinth and was encased in ashlar in the 1880s. It has two buttresses, each having at the set off point a small crocketed triangular blind arch with carved heads as label stops. The tower is embattled with pinnacles and has guttering with gargoyles under.

The arched west doorway with moulded surround has to either side a single inner colonnette or plain capital with hood mould and label stops over. The north aisle has to the west an angle buttress. The west wall has an arched two-light reticulated tracery window.

North porch

Inner door of the north porch

The ashlar 12th century north porch, has a coped gable with ornate ridge cross with a single 19th century buttress either side, decorated with a colonnette with foliate decoration in place of a capital. It has a slate roof. The central doorway has an inner order of beakheads along jambs and arch, with two colonnettes to either side, the inner decorated with zigzag to the east and cable to the west. The outer are both decorated with zigzag. The colonnettes have scalloped capitals which support arches with chevron decoration. The hoodmould has alternate billet decoration and label stops. Above the door is an arched niche with inner order of engaged colonnettes and scalloped capitals, this contains a late 12th century figure of a saint in poor condition, with blind arcading over.

The north porch has a 15th century inner wicket door with elaborate blind tracery with an effigy of the Virgin and Child. The arch over is supported by imposts. The porch interior has 19th century blind arcading with decorated arches.

Nave and arcades looking west

Decorated capital in south arcade

Carved head on the south arcade

The four-bay nave arcades both have octagonal piers with capitals supporting double chamfered arches and hood moulds. The 14th century south arcade has label stops and foliate decorated capitals. The north arcade is 13th century.

The chamfered tower arch has an inner order of engaged columns supporting an inner arch. Over is evidence of a removed gallery. An arched doorway with imposts leads to the bell chamber.

A double chamfered arch separates north aisle and north chapel. There is a small niche to the south side of the south aisle.

Chancel arch and screen

The double chamfered arch with hood mould and label stops separating nave and chancel has a restored 15th century traceried screen under, with a carved 16th century figure of St. Francis to the west and to the east a 15th century carved figure of the Virgin and Child. The north wall has an aumbry with a piscina to the south wall. The south doorway is arched and the east window has an arch over with label stops. The chancel has a wagon roof.

Pews in the nave

There are a number of 15th century pews with blind tracery and elaborately carved poppyheads. The remainder are undecorated 19th century pews.

Technical Summary

Timbers and roofs

	NAVE	CHANCEL	TOWER
Main	Crown post roof with moulded ties, moulded arched braces, decorative wall plates, plain collars and wind braces; all c.1883. Medieval roof line visible on west wall.	Wagon roof with arched timbers, crown posts below onto moulded ties; all c.1883.	Stone spire, early C15th.
S.Aisle	Centrally pitched moulded central purlin, moulded ties, wall posts; probably c.1883.	n/a
N.Aisle	Flat with central, moulded purlin arched braces, and wall posts; probably c.1883.	Organ chamber, continuation of aisle roof.
Other principal	South porch: simple pitch, cross braced rafters, decorative wall plates; probably c.1883. North porch: simple pitch, plain rafters and collars, moulded wall plates; probably c.1883.
Other timbers	North door C15th.

Bellframe

Steel bellframe, Pickford Group 8.3.C, girders, 'H' frame, Taylors of Loughborough.

Not scheduled for preservation Grade 5.

Walls

Excavations and potential for survival of below-ground archaeology

No known archaeological excavations have been undertaken.

The fabric dates principally from the late C12th to the C15th with restorations 1883, 1893, 1931, and 1978. The outer north porch and inner south porch doorways are fine C12th work and the inner south door is C15th with carvings. The tower is C13th with a spire of c.1400 and has a blocked, high-level doorway above the tower arch, probably C14th. The remainder of the fabric is C12th-C15th with some C19th restoration. It is probable that the fabric below the internal plaster has significant archaeological features.

The churchyard is broadly rectangular in shape with the church is positioned roughly centrally in the historic churchyard; a late extensions is on the west and south-west (post-1885, pre-1900). There are burials on all sides.

The overall potential for the survival of below-ground archaeology in the churchyard is considered to be HIGH-VERY HIGH comprising medieval construction evidence, burials, and landscaping. Below the present interior floors of the church it is considered to be HIGH-VERY HIGH comprising medieval-C19th stratigraphy with post-medieval burials. The archaeology of the upstanding fabric throughout is medieval and its archaeological potential is HIGH-VERY HIGH.

Exterior: Burial numbers expected to be average.

Interior: Stratigraphy under the entire building is likely to be medieval with later layers and restoration evidence. In the body of the church the stratigraphy is likely to be punctuated by medieval and post-medieval burials.