Building record 0179800000 - ST EDMUND'S CHURCH, MAIDS MORETON

Dimensions - Length 29m, Width 19m.
Plan Form - Subrectangular.
Essentially a fine C15 structure; some areas are fan vaulted (description, plan & photo) (B4).
Grade I. Parish Church. C15, restored late C19 and mid C20. Coursed rubble stone, lead roofs. Perpendicular. W tower, nave, N and S porches, and chancel with 1882 vestry to S. W tower: three stages, diagonal off-set buttresses, projecting stair turret to NW. W side has moulded doorway under battlemented canopy on fan supports, 4-light window above. Deeply recessed paired lights through top two stages with broad triangular mullions to centre and elaborately cusped single arch above. Battlemented parapet. Nave: has parapet, off-set buttresses and three bays of large transomed 3-light windows. N porch has battlemented parapet with trefoiled panels, buttresses and corner gargoyles. Perpendicular arched doorway has 1637 door with carved panels and turned baluster ornament to tympanum and lintel. Interior: has two bays of fan vaulting on slim shafts, stone seats and C15 door with carved panels in double moulded arch, the outer arch cusped. S porch has plain parapet with small central ogee niche and moulded doorway with carved angel heads to label stops. Fan vaulted. Chancel has wide 5-light E window and 3-light windows to N and S. N side also has small moulded doorway and 2-light window to W. Interior: tower has fan vault on carved angel corbels. Nave has mullions continued below windows to form wall panels, stone seats, and tall recessed panels over doors. Tall moulded pointed arches to tower and chancel. Original roof, restored, with moulded beams, traceried spendrels and carved bosses. Chancel has similar wall panels and roof. Triple sedilia to S wall has much restored elaborate canopy with ogee arches and finials, and painting of Last Supper on rear wall. C12 round font basin with scalloped ornament. C15 chancel screen with traceried panels and carved half-figures of angels at each end. Altar table 1623 with elaborately carved cup-and-cover legs. C18 bread box. Some C15 glass in top tracery panels of E and W windows. Remaining glass and fittings C19. C17 painted cartouche above N door commemorating two daughters of Lord Peovre as founders of the church. 1890 replacements of brasses to the same below. Marble wall monumnet to Edward and Penelope Bate 1717 in chancel with Corinthian columns and open segmental pediment. RCHM II pp184-7 (B7).
Detailed recording of graffiti inscribed on leaf roofing of tower carried out in 2001 during replacement of roof. The earliest dated example was 1601, the latest 1983. Over 30 of the best examples were retained for eventual display (B8).



(SP 70643516) St. Edmunds Church (C of E) [NAT] (B9).
Parish Church of St. Edmund, at the S.E. end of the village, is built of limestone rubble with ample quoinings and dressings, a moulded plinth, carefully worked string-courses, elaborately weathered buttresses and plain parapets; the S. wall of the chancel and the original walls of the vestry are covered with roughcast. The roofs are covered with lead. The earliest detail is that of the font, probably of late 12th century date, and some 12th century stones are set in the N. porch, but the present church was built in the second half of the 15th century; an addition was made to the S. vestry, and the building was repaired in 1882-87. The church is exceptionally interesting, as it is of unusually fine design, workmanship and material, all of the 15th century and practically untouched; the W. tower, with the fan-vaulted canopy over the W. doorway and the fan-vaulting in the vestry, tower and porches are especially noteworthy (B3).

This record includes National Record of the Historic Environment Information provided by Historic England on 4 June 2025 licensed under the Open Government Licence.