St Marys Burton Latimer

EXTERNAL

The Churchyard wall 
Against the churchyard wall to the left of the Manor House gate, is the date stone from the old rectory “A.D. 1750″. A number of grave stones that were either leaning or had fallen over were removed to this wall in 1970.


The Church building
 The church consists of a tower and spire, nave, north and south aisles, chancel and north porch, all constructed of local stone.  This is also true of the more recent additions of the vestry and Chapter House.


The Tower
The tower is three storeys high.  It has two doorways: The door on the north side is decorated (14th Century) and is the entrance to the tower, the one on the south side leads to the tower stairs. The tower itself is in the Early English style (13th Century) the spire is a 14th Century addition. When the spire was rebuilt in 1862 the cost was around £4000, in 2004 major work was carried out on the present structure at a cost of £40000 – and this was a fairly modest job to ensure the future safety of this landmark.


The main body of the church
The aisles and clerestory are Perpendicular (15th Century) although evidence of earlier building exists. All the aisle windows are of three cinque-foiled lights, under a four centred arch. The clerestory has six two-lighted windows on either side, under three centred arches. The parapets were embattled when the church was restored between 1862 and 1868. Numerous worn gargoyles look out from their vantage places. The south door is round-headed and of 13th Century construction. On the south wall, on a window frame are the remains of a medieval scratch dial. The wrought iron gates to the north porch were a gift from the Norton family in memory of their parents Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Norton, local shoe manufacturers.


The main entrance
The north porch is Perpendicular with angle buttresses. Above the entrance is a niche containing a statue of the Blessed Virgin and Child. This was presented to the church by the local school children in 1921. It probably replaced one destroyed during Cromwell’s Commonwealth . The massive oak doors bear the date 1510 and an almost indecipherable inscription: JHON CAMPYON AND JHONE HYS WYF To the right of the door built into the stone seat is a font from the 13th Century or earlier.

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