More information : [NZ 42245050] St Mary's Church [NAT] (1)
Repairs to the church of St Mary (said formerly to have been St
Andrew) at Seaham, exposed remains of Anglo-Saxon date. Three early
windows and vestiges of a fourth were found in the side walls of the
nave. Also revealed were the foundations of an Anglo-Saxon chancel
and foundations of a possible narthex or baptistry outside the walls
of the tower (2). Several stones of apparantly Roman date are built
into the tower (3). (2-3)
Church of St Mary (Formerly listed as St. Mary's Church, Seaham Hall)
Grade I.
Church, Possibly C8 with additions and alterations between C11-C16,
restored 1913. Dressed sandstone and limestone with low-pitch
graduated green slate roof, and porch roof of sandstone flags. West
tower, aisleless nave and chancel, south porch and north vestry.
Tall narrow 4-bay nave has quoins and chamfered plinth; north and
south walls each have 2 possibly C8 windows with monolithic
round-arched heads, original rear-arches and deeply splayed internal
sills; north-west window has external moulding of concentric
circles, rear-arch of north-east window has wheatear moulding; 2
C13 lancets in north wall and one lancet in south wall have C8
rear-arches; two 2-light Perpendicular-style windows in south
wall with massive probably C14 buttress to right. Course of
herringbone masonry c.2 metres above ground level in north wall
is partly hidden by late C19 north vestry. Slightly projecting
C15 battlemented parapet with one original water spout in south wall.
Lower and narrower, probably late C12, 2-bay chancel has chamfered
plinth and C15 battlemented parapet; 3 lancets in south wall and 2
in north wall have chamfered reveals and pointed splayed
rear-arches; buttressed east end has 2 round-headed lancets under
continuous hoodmould with nailhead decoration and splayed
rear-arches.
Mid C13 west tower has quoins and chamfered plinth; ground floor
lancet in west wall and 3 lancets above have pointed heads and
chamfered reveals; original roof line visible in east wall; corbel
table supports restored C15 battlemented parapet.
Probably C16 porch has quoins, chamfered round-arched entrance
and elaborate sundial with plaque dated 1773; left and right returns
have slit lancets with wide internal splays; low-pitched
stone-flagged roof carried on 2 slightly pointed and chamfered
transverse ribs; blocked opening with fragmentary shaft and re-set
head corbel above south door within porch.
Interior: Nave has round-headed piscina in south wall near
chancel arch. South wall of chancel has piscina with pointed head
and slightly projecting stoup and aumbry with broken trefoiled head
and carved relief of a hand raised in blessing on rear wall; both
piscina and aumbry have borders with nailhead decoration.
Double-chamfered pointed chancel arch, restored in 1920, springs
from double-head corbels and has pointed hoodmould above with
original head corbel to right. Chancel and nave roofs of 1920 with
3 and 5 King-post trusses respectively. Double-chamfered pointed
tower arch on corbels with dogtooth moulding has chamfered jambs
with bar stops. C18 panelled box pews in nave and chancel with 3
original brass name plates. Polygonal pulpit of wood with classical
details c.1579. Medieval or possibly C17 round font, with moulded
base, cylindrical shaft and floral border, has possibly C17 font
cover of wood. (4)
Full description of the 7th-9th century window head in situ in the north nave wall. (5) |