Church of All Saints, Main Street, Beeby (Grade II*)

Geo: 52.6685, -1.0194
Date ListedWed 1st June, 1966
CategoryStatutory Listed Building
AddressChurch of All Saints Main Street Beeby LE7 3BL
GradeGrade II*
Grid ReferenceSK6640708321
LBS189497
Volume, Map, Item285, 7, 32
ParishBeeby
WardQueniborough
Conservation AreaBeeby
Description

Parish church, largely early C14, with some restoration, including the rebuilding of the chancel in 1819. Coursed ironstone rubble throughout, with white ashlar dressings. Chancel is of brick. West tower nave with clerestory and 2 aisles, chancel. Tower of 3 stages with slender angle buttresses. West door and 2 light window over it. 3 light double tiered traceried lights to bell chamber. Clock on west face. Quatrefoil frieze below embattled parapet, which contains gargoyles. Stumpy remains of spire. South aisle is of 2 distinct builds: coursed rubble to west, ashlar work to east on granite plinth. South doorway is a worn roll moulded arch on slender shafts, one renewed. The door itself is a fine piece of timberwork, with slender strapwork pattern of Y-tracery. C19 south porch of granite and openwork timber. One wide and simply traceried window and a round arched foiled light. Ashlar parapet. Clerestory has paired foiled lights and ashlar parapet, with gargoyles. Brick chancel of 1819 with red sandstone east window and rather heavy tracery. Date stone in apex of east gable. Buttressed north aisle with two wide 3 light decorated windows and a small doorway with single chamfered arch with hoodmould. Above it is a very worn carved head. North door is of similar quality and style to south. Inside, the nave is of 3 bays, but as the tower is arcaded on 3 sides, the impression is of a 4th western bay or narthex. Arches below tower are double chamfered with clustered shafts, and ogee arched doorway to tower staircase. Nave arcade has octagonal columns, double chamfered arches with large corbels, Victorian restorations: a serpent, a skull, the crucifixion and various saints etc. Nave roof is perhaps C15: cambered trusses with large central foliate bosses. Chancel arch looks earlier than the arcade, perhaps late C13 - it is steeply pointed and double chamfered on half octagonal piers. There is a door to former rood loft to north. The Chancel is raised up 3 steps, its screen is largely medieval, (C14) though capped by Victorian cross, and has central ogee archway and cusped tracery panels either side of it. Fragments of a similar screen are incorporated in the south aisle screen.
Stone and marble heavy high Victorian pulpit, c1860. Royal arms over tower arch. Partly obliterated incised slab beneath tower. Font is a diminutive basin on 4 round shafts with nail head decoration on bases and in between them. The basin is a slightly curved square, with a floral motif filling each panel. Perhaps C13. Various late C18 box pews and a gothic commandments board in the south aisle.

The description above describes the salient features of the building as it was at the date of listing. It is given in order to aid identification; it is not intended to be either comprehensive or exclusive.

Statutory Listing covers all parts of the property and its curtilage, ie all internal and external elements whether described or not.