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Monument Types

• CHURCH (ROMAN 5TH CENTURY AD to PRE CONQUEST - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
• CHURCH (LATE 11TH CENTURY AD to 21ST CENTURY AD - 1066 AD to 2050 AD)
• WAR MEMORIAL (20TH CENTURY AD to 21ST CENTURY AD - 1919 AD? to 2050 AD)
• WAR MEMORIAL (20TH CENTURY AD to 21ST CENTURY AD - 1919 AD? to 2050 AD)
• WAR MEMORIAL (20TH CENTURY AD to 21ST CENTURY AD - 1919 AD? to 2050 AD)
• WAR MEMORIAL (20TH CENTURY AD to 21ST CENTURY AD - 1919 AD? to 2050 AD)
• WAR MEMORIAL (20TH CENTURY AD to 21ST CENTURY AD - 1946 AD? to 2050 AD)

Associated Events

• Evaluation in 2001, St Laurence's Church, Alvechurch (Ref: WSM30937)
• Tree-Ring Analysis, Church of St Laurence, Alvechurch (Ref: WSM41773)

Protected Status

• Listed Building

Full description

Apart from north aisle and tower church rebuilt 1859-61 (Butterfield) brick building, red with white bands.[1]

Church & attached church hall (constructed 2005) described by Brooks & Pevsner.[14]

Tower: 15th century, rebuilt (1676 on west face) 3 stages. North aisle: 14th century, with 15th century insertions at west end (appears to replace 12th century building). South aisle: south doorway Norman reused 12th century work. Nave: 1859-61 probably same size as medieval. [2]

Minor remains of 11th/12th century church survive. [3]

Desk based assessment 1999. [4]

An archaeological desk-based assessment was undertaken to assess the feasibility of constructing a meeting room and other works. Documentary evidence has suggested the potential existence of a pre-Conquest settlement in the vicinity of the church. The church has several different phases of activity. The north aisle has been dated to at least the 14th century with main part being rebuilt in the mid 19th century. Report no 756. [5]

The Domesday Survey for Worcestershire notes the presence of a priest at Alvechurch. [6]

The Benefice of Alvechurch is mentioned in the Taxatio of Pope Nicholas IV 1291. The benefice included the church, valued at £20 0s 0d. The patron was the Bishop of Worcester but there is no note of any appropriation. [7]

Parish church. Fragments of 12th century, 14th century north aisle, tower of 1676 built by the Richards brothers, rest rebuilt by William Butterfield, 1859-1861. Sandstone ashlar with machine-tile roof. West tower 1676, north aisle 14th century, nave, south aisle and chancel 1859-1861. West tower: incorporates some 15th century features, rebuilt 1676, three stages, each offset. 17th century balustrade with crocketed pinnacles, diagonal buttresses: west wall: second stage has a window of trefoiled lights under 2-centred head; first stage: square-headed window with chamfered reveals, below clock and a datestone inscribed: "Samuell Richards and / Thomas Richards 1676" over a pair of addorsed dragons; ground stage: window of three cinquefoiled lights under 2-centred head with label over an entrance with 2-centred arch. Nave: 1859-1861, four bays with (from left to right) clerestorey windows: cinquefoil lancet, a pair of similar lancets, a pair of trefoiled lancets, and a similar pair with quatrefoil above; south aisle: 1858-1861, lean-to roof, five bays, left-hand bay has timber-frame south porch to re-set restored 12th century door which has a roll moulding to semi-circular head, a billeted label, and respond shafts with capitals; other bays mostly have paired trefoil lancets, each with a re-set 12th century or 14th century corbel above; east window has two trefoiled lights under a 2-centred head; north aisle: 14th century, altered 15th century, gabled roof; three bays defined by stepped buttresses, each bay with two windows of two trefoiled lights under 2-centred head; east window has reticulated tracery under a 2-centred head, and had five lights obscured by lean-to 19th century vestry. Chancel: 1859-61, three bays, that to left covered by south aisle, trefoiled lancets to each bay; east window: three stepped trefoiled lancets. Interior: nave: north arcade of three bays with 2-centred arches and circular plan piers, south arcade of four bays wth 2-centred arches and slender columns, respectively Norman and Early English in style, but all 19th century; tower arch: 2-centred of two continuous orders; chancel: arcade to aisles on each side of two bays with 2-centred arches and slender columns. Re-set head of a 14th century sedilia in south wall of chancel; north aisle; early 15th century tomb recess behind organ has an ogee cinque- foiled arch, crocketed and terminating in a carved finial; effigy in recess is a recumbent stone knight. Roofs: nave: seven bays: arch-braced collars, south aisle: lean-to roof; chancel: two bays, cusped arch-braces to collar; north aisle: common rafter roof with scissor-braces. Fittings: mostly 19th century by Butterfield; the low chancel screen is made up from probably 15th century woodwork, including a frieze with trailing foliage, all painted. North aisle: wall tablet to Edward Moore, died 1746, with Corinthian pilasters; brass mounted on wall to Philip Chatwyn, died 1542; chancel: tomb slab bearing a cross flory, chalice and the arms of John Carpenter, Bishop of Worcester (1443-76). (VCH 3, pp 255-256; BoE, pp 68-70 Hereford & Worcester Record Office, Probate records 3585/767). [9][11]

Church restored by Butterfield 1860 to 1861. Stained glass in south nave aisle by Preedy in under Butterfield's supervision. Stained glass in south aisle by Preedy 1870. [10][12]

McNeill Memorial, stained glass window, 2 figures, 5 names. [13][14]

Underwood Memorial, 2 names, WW1. [13]

Gaunt Memorial, wooden battlefield cross, 1 name, WW1. [15]

Wooden panelling, 7 ogival-headed insets, the 37 names of those commemorated are painted on the middle 5 panels, WW1. [13][16]

Set above the WW1 memorial, casket set within an ogival headed opening within the memorial, 15 names are painted on the side panels, WW2. [13][16]

This record includes National Record of the Historic Environment Information provided by Historic England on 9th April 2019 licensed under the Open Government Licence: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/[17]

The National Record of the Historic Environment entry for this record also referenced the following object/archive: 2K/09910 CHURCH OF ST LAURENCE [17]
The National Record of the Historic Environment entry for this record also referenced the following event: 1338218 Desk Based Assessment ST LAWRENCE'S CHURCH, ALVECHURCH 1400009 Evaluation ST LAURENCE'S CHURCHYARD, ALVECHURCH 1486742 Watching Brief ST. LAURENCE'S CHURCH 1549837 Architectural Survey CHURCH OF ST. LAURENCE, ALVECHURH [17]

Sources and further reading

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