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Listing Description

List of Incumbents

Shireoaks St Luke

Official Listing Description

Parish church. Decorated style. 1861-63 by T. C. Hine for fifth Duke of Newcastle. Rockfaced ashlar with banded slate and slab roofs; ashlar dressings, chamfered plinth, moulded sill, lintel and eaves bands. All openings have hood moulds with ornamental stops. Lateral and diagonal buttresses and coped gables with kneelers throughout. Nave, apsidal chancel, aisles, transepts, north and south porches, crossing tower with stair turret. Nave clerestorey, 4 bays, has on each side 4 double lancets with four centred arched heads. West end has central buttress with inscribed panel and above, gabled shrine containing figure, flanked by single cusped lancets and above again, circular window. Chancel has 4 nodal buttresses and 5 cusped double lancets. South aisle has 3 decorated lancets and similar lancet in west end. North aisle identical. Single bay south transept has gabled roof running into lean-to against tower. South side has spherical triangle window, and to right, doorway. East end has single lancet. Similar north transept has large coped flanking buttresses adjoining tower, that to left carrying octagonal chimney. Porches have moulded doorways and a single lancet on each side. 3 stage crossing tower has 2 string courses, 4 gargoyles and coped parapet; spire removed 1973. Circular stair turret to east. First stage has 2 lancets on north and south sides; second stage has clock on north and south sides; third stage has on each side a double lancet bell opening with single shafts. Nave arcades, 4 bays, have round piers with round bases and capitals, chamfered arches and hood moulds. Kingpost roof with stencilled decoration. Crossing has east and west arches with cove, roll and filletted moulding and hood moulds. Triple marble shaft responds with foliate capitals and angel corbels. Pair of corner shafts with similar capitals. Western arch has 7 bay iron screen. Crossing has on each side an archway containing 4-panelled traceried screens with doors. Stencilled panelled ceiling with gilt bosses. Chancel has alabaster and marble inlaid panelling and elaborate Decorated. style credence, gabled reredos and crocketted gabled sedilia; 5 stained glass windows, all in memory of Henry Pelham, fifth Duke of Newcastle, 1865. South aisle has organ at east end. North aisle east end has elaborately stencilled ceiling to lady chapel. Fittings include plain pews and panelled benches; inscribed octagonal font with octagonal stem and 8 minor shafts; carved, painted and gilt ashlar pulpit; brass eagle lectern on ringed shaft. 2 brasses to Duke of Newcastle, 1865, single brass, 1900, war memorial brass on south wall. Outside, boundary wall along Shireoaks Common and Shireoaks Road, approx. 150 M long, in 2 sections. Coursed squared rubble and rounded ashlar coping. 2 wrought iron gates, one with chamfered square piers and both with pyramidal caps.