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Bells

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References

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Listing Description

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Elston
Old Chapel

Archaeology

The building comprises a two celled chapel, the chancel shorter and slightly lower than the nave.

Nave

The south doorway, is round arched with slightly pointed inner order of zig-zag moulding, all of 12th century date. There is graffiti of 1717 on the door jamb. The walls are constructed primarily of coursed rubble with ashlar quoins. The south wall has a 2-light 14th century window to the east of the doorway; the north wall has a 2-light window of similar design and date and an altered single light window further east of uncertain date. The west wall contains two rectangular lights, evidently inserted when the interior gallery was built. Above the gallery and windows is a single, larger opening, once containing the bells.

South doorway

Graffiti on jamb

View of the interior looking west

West wall

Chancel

View of the interior looking east

External view of the chancel

The chancel is of similar construction to the nave, with no chancel arch to divide the two cells but a slight narrowing of the interior walls. The south wall has a 2-light 14th century window similar to the nave, and the north wall contains a 2-light rectangular window, evidently of post-Reformation date. The east wall has a single 3-light window of 14th century date with the date 1577 above probably referring to a period of restoration.

Technical Summary

Timbers and roofs

	Nave	Chancel	Tower
Main	Six tie beams supporting raking struts to principal rafters at edges and centre. Collars to principal rafters. Much replacement and repaired timberwork but basically probably early 19th century or late 18th century.	As nave. Single continuous roof.	n/a
S.Aisle	n/a	n/a
N.Aisle	n/a	n/a
Other principal	n/a
Other timbers	West gallery, probably early 19th century.

Bellframe

No bellframe. Bells hung simply in wall opening above west gallery.

Walls

Excavations and potential for survival of below-ground archaeology

No major archaeological excavations are known to have been undertaken.

The fabric has evidential dating from the 12th to the 16th century with 19th century refurbishment internally and late 20th century restoration. The building is a simple 2-cell design and has a 18th/19th century roof largely intact with modern repairs. There is evidence of 16th and 19th century restoration throughout with sympathetic late 20th century restoration, but the body of the church remains substantially medieval of the 12th-14th century. There is evidence of multiperiod wall painting.

There is no churchyard and no burials in evidence, though the building sits within an irregularly shaped field, clearly demarking the original ownership boundary. The church is offset into the west side of the field and has further fields on the east, west, and north sides with the village of Elston bounding to the south-west.

The overall potential for the survival of below-ground archaeology in the immediate surrounds is considered to be UNKNOWN though possibly HIGH perhaps comprising medieval construction evidence, evidence of former boundaries, possibly further buildings (if this chapel did form part of the medieval hospital complex of Stoke), paths, and other landscaping. Below all the present interior floors of the nave and chancel it is considered to be HIGH-VERY HIGH comprising medieval-C19th stratigraphy and an unknown possibility of burials. The archaeology of the upstanding fabric throughout is largely medieval, with extant multiperiod wall painting, and its archaeological potential is HIGH-VERY HIGH.

Exterior: Largely unknown potential for further buildings, possible burials, and boundary demarkation.

Interior: Stratigraphy under the nave and chancel is likely to be medieval, with later layers and some C19th disturbance. In the body of the church the stratigraphy may be punctuated by medieval burials but this is unknown.