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Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details.

Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details.

BISHOP AUCKLAND

NZ1826 MANOR ROAD, St Helen Auckland 634-1/10/152 (North side) 21/04/52 Church of St Helen

GV I

Parish church. Late C12, early C13 and roof rebuilt C15; porch and schoolroom above C15, rebuilt 1866. MATERIALS: Rubble with quoins and ashlar dressings. Roof not visible. PLAN: chancel with north vestry and south organ chamber, aisled nave with south porch. EXTERIOR: chancel has pointed east window with bar tracery to 3 lancet lights, and C19 dripmould, plus wide quoins, and low-pitched roof. Trefoil heads to small 2-light south chancel window, and 3 two-light chancel south aisle windows, the west higher, plus an east lancet. Renewed 2-light south nave window west of porch. North nave elevation has 2 massive buttresses, a single lancet, and chamfered pointed door. Clerestory has 2 arched lights to windows except single light at west, and battlemented parapets. 2-storey C19 porch has C20 door in double chamfered round arch with dripmould. Lancet to left of door, paired trefoil-headed lights above, and battlemented parapet. West return of porch has single light on first floor below corbelled parapet. West elevation has stepped buttresses flanking 3 lancets under single dripmould, pent aisle roofs, and 2-arched bellcote. Porch door of wide boards, probably C15, in chamfered pointed arch. INTERIOR has C15 roof with side and ridge purlins, rafters renewed. East window has shouldered rear arch. Chancel arcades of paired pointed arches with recessed chamfers on octagonal piers, the north with leaves and a fir-cone motif (a primitive version of the well-carved cone at Finchale Priory, Durham, also on north chancel capital). South arcade has similar fleur-de-lys and modified nailhead, and on the face towards the chancel are 2 spheres, one cross-hatched, the other with multiple irregular circles, possibly representing sun and moon, as in medieval crucifixion scenes. Chancel arch pointed, with 2 orders on restored keeled shaft. Nave arcades 2 east bays C12, north round pier with moulded base on octagonal plinth broached to square base, and enriched waterleaf capital. Keeled shafts to responds. 2 orders of chamfers, the inner with stops, and hood mould. South arcade has round pier with moulded round base and bell capital, chamfers not stopped, keeled shafts to responds restored at east and truncated at west. Arches similar to north arcade but with nutmeg hoodmould. 3rd bay has chamfered pointed arches on east piers formed from section of original west wall, with broach stops to chamfers, and fillets to shafts of responds. South aisle wall has cantilevered stone slab steps, originally leading to room over porch. Chancel has damaged piscina with plain round chamfered arch. Deep circular plain bowl stone font on wide pedestal beside south door possibly late C12; marks under bowl show where 4 shafts were set, shown in Billings' illustration. FITTINGS include pews of nave C19. Choir pews incorporate some C17 tracery, balustrades and cresting in backs. organ screen incorporates C17 carving. MEMORIALS include Frosterley limestone medieval-style incised grave cover in north aisle, with cross and sword. c1470 brass indent in chancel, partly obscured by altar steps, showing parents and 6 children. Brass on north aisle wall set up or moved in 1647 to Ralph Dalton, Armiger, who held office under Bishop Tunstall and d.1558, and his son Robert who was buried at St Martin, Ludgate, London, February 10th 1560. STAINED GLASS includes windows at east to Rev Matthew Chester, d.1871, with medieval style Saints Cuthbert and Helen flanking the Risen Christ. Grisaille in north chancel chapel, north and east 1914-1918 War Memorial windows, and very high quality east window in south aisle to Emma White d.1920, with Saints Hilda and Aidan. West window to WB Kilburn d.1886, in Renaissance style with architectural setting. Wood poor box attached to south arcade C17 or C18 with painted inscription. Fragments of red paint on north aisle wall, apparently non-pictorial. (Billings R: Architectural Antiquities of the County of Durham: Newcastle: 1974-: PLATE FACING P15; Surtees H C: History of the Parish and Township of St Helen Auckland: Mainsforth: 1924-; Blakesley J: St Helen Auckland - some historical notes for visitors: Bishop Auckland: 1983-).

Listing NGR: NZ1883626775

This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Register. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 17 August 2017.