Stanstead St. Margarets

124. STANSTEAD ST. MARGARETS.

(O.S. 6 in. xxx. S.W.)

Ecclesiastical

(1). Parish Church of St. Margaret, stands in the middle of the village. It is built of heavily plastered flint rubble with stone dressings; the roof is tiled. The Nave is of early 12th-century date; the Chancel, which has no structural division from the nave, was re-built in the middle of the 14th century; a North Aisle and Chapel were added at the same time, but were afterwards destroyed; the church is now a rectangular building with two modern North Vestries, one containing stairs leading to a modern W. gallery.

Architectural Description—The Chancel (35 ft. by 19 ft.) has a 14th-century E. window of four lights, much repaired. On the N. side are two bays of pointed arcading, now buried in the wall and only faintly visible. During a recent restoration the capital and part of one of the columns were exposed, and photographed before being covered up again. The columns are of four engaged shafts, separated by roll-moulding, and the capitals have plain bells and deep moulded abaci. Modern windows are inserted in both bays, and at the E. end of the N. wall is a doorway to the vestry. In the S. wall are two 14th-century windows of two lights and, between them, a blocked 14th-century doorway; a little W. of these a slight break indicates the junction of the 12th and 14th-century walling. There is no chancel arch. The Nave (32 ft. by 19 ft.) has two bays of pointed arcading buried in the N. wall; the apex of one arch, of mid 14th-century date, forms the head of the gallery door, and is of two wave-moulded orders; the whole arcade was probably of the same detail and date. Under the other arches are a modern window and doorway. In the S. wall at the E. end is a muchrepaired 14th-century window of two lights, and W. of it is a small original window, now blocked, with a semi-circular head cut from a single stone, and the 14th-century S. doorway of two moulded orders. The W. window is modern. Over the W. end of the nave is a small bell-cot. In the Roof of the nave are three late 15th-century trusses, with cambered tie-beams and strutted king-posts.

Fittings—Bracket: on N. wall of chancel, small and plain. Brasses and Indents: in N.W. vestry, slab with indents of foliated cross, shields, and remains of marginal inscription in French: in chancel, indent of half-figure of priest, 15th-century. Floor Slabs: a number of 17th-century slabs to members of the families of Lawrence and Cresset. Niches: on each side of the E. window, cinque-foiled niche with crocketted canopy, late 14th-century. Piscina: in the sill of S.E. window of chancel, bowl only.

Condition—Good, much restored and somewhat defaced.

Secular

(2). The Manor House, S. of the church, is timber-framed, and has tiled roofs. It shows traces of having been built in the 17th century, but has been much altered. The main entrance has ornamental iron gates of the 18th century, with an heraldic shield and crest over them.

Condition—Good.