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Balderton St Giles

Official Listing Description

Parish church, C12, C13, C14, restored c.1880 with C20 additions. Coursed rubble and ashlar. Slate roofs with stone coped gables with kneelers and 2 ridge crosses. Tower with spire, nave, north and south aisles with north and south porches, chancel with north chapel. Buttressed with a sill band which continues above the south doorway interrupted by the tower, porches, and all but the 2 single north aisle buttresses. The C13 tower of 3 stages with 4 string courses, is set on a plinth and was encased in ashlar in the 1880s. It has 2 buttresses, each having at the set off point a small crocketed triangular blind arch with carved heads as label stops. The arched west doorway with moulded surround has to either side a single inner colonnette and plain capital with hood mould and label stops over. To the north is a small rectangular light. The 1st floor has an arched 2-light traceried and cusped window. The north wall has 3 small square headed openings, one with cusping. There are 4 arched and traceried openings with cusping to the bell chamber. The tower is embattled with pinnacles and has guttering with gargoyles under. There is a c.1400 crocketed spire with one tier of crocketed lucarnes. The north aisle has to the west an angle buttress. The west wall has an arched 2-light reticulated tracery window. The north wall has 3 arched 3-light reticulated tracery windows with hood moulds and label stops. The ashlar C12 porch, which is one window in from the west, has a coped gable with ornate ridge cross with a single C19 buttress either side, decorated with a colonnette with foliate decoration in place of a capital. To both east and west walls is a single arched window with inner order of engaged colonnettes with scalloped capitals. The central doorway has an inner order of beakheads along jambs and arch, with 2 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 C12 figure of a saint in poor condition, with blind arcading over. The north chapel has to its east wall an arched 3-light reticulated tracery window. The north chancel has 2 lancets. The east end has an arched 3-light window with panel tracery and cusping. The south chancel has from east to west a lancet window, an arched 3-light window with tracery and cusping, an arched doorway and a small arched window with hoodmould and one label stop to the west. The south aisle has to its east wall an arched 3-light inter- secting tracery window with hood mould and label stops. The south wall has to the east 2 arched 2-light Y tracery windows with hood mould and label stops. The C12 ashlar porch is enclosed by an ashlar and slate roofed C20 extension. The exterior doorway of the porch has a moulded arch and jambs with hood mould and remnants of label stops, to the east side is an incised stone sundial. The inner door has a chevron inner arch and jambs. A pair of colonnettes with scalloped capitals support a further chevron arch and imposts with an arched hood mould decorated with 2 rows of billet mould and an intercalated row of arches. To the west of the extension is an arched 3-light reticulated tracery window with hood mould and label stops. The west wall has an arched 3-light reticulated tracery window with hood mould and label stops. The north porch has a C15 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 C19 blind arcading with decorated arches. Interior. The 4 bay nave arcades both have octagonal piers with capitals supporting double chamfered arches and hood moulds. The C14 south arcade has label stops and foliate decorated capitals. The north arcade is C13. 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. The double chamfered arch with hood mould and label stops separating nave and chancel has a restored C15 traceried screen under, with a carved C16 figure of St. Francis to the west and to the east a C15 carved figure of the Virgin and Child. There is a chamfered arch over to the north chapel, now housing the organ. 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. 3 of the chancel windows have fragments of C14 and C15 coloured glass. The chancel has a wagon roof. There are a number of C15 pews with blind tracery and elaborate poppyheads. The remainder are undecorated C19. The C15 pulpit has blind tracery. The octagonal font is C14 and has ballflower ornament on its shaft. On the east wall of the chancel is a finely carved monument to Mary Sikes, c.1828 by Willson, Bath Place, Fitzroy Square, London. This comprises 2 figures on the top of a sarcophagus, one kneeling, with urn between. There is also a finely carved monument to Joseph and Jane Sikes c.1778, having decorated tablet with open pediment over, supporting at its edges 2 urns. The chancel south wall has a monument in the form of a sarcophagus with urn over c.1817 to Robert Harvey. On the chancel north wall is a finely carved monument of c.1812 to Matthew Harvey. This has inscription surmounted by an urn. On the south aisle wall is a small brass c.1660 to Anna and Francis Leek. There is also a monument to Sarah and Christopher Hancer c.1821, consisting of an urn placed on top of a pier, with a further monument to William Hancer, c.1798.