St. Mary the Virgin - Beighton

A general view of the south elevation

In the Domesday Book, no mention is made of a church in Beighton and, based on a late Norman arch that was found during late Victorian rebuilding, a date of c.1150 has been assigned to the church of St. Mary the Virgin.

A general view of the north elevation

No remains of the Norman church exist and - looking at the exterior - the Decorated Gothic style of the windows to the aisles indicates a 14th century date, with a later addition of the tower in the 15th century; both of these contrast strongly with the later additions of the chancel, clerestory and porch in the late 19th century, which includes new Welsh slate roofs.

The Victorian chancel

Although blackened in places, the general colouration and weathering characteristics of the stone - throughout the church - are similar to that seen in the oldest historic buildings in the village and it is therefore likely that its quarry source was also local.

A Decorated Gothic style window in the north aisle

A closer examination shows that both the south and north aisles are constructed with large, well squared blocks laid in courses with moderately regular bed heights; however, in the tower, there is much more variation in the bed heights and the west window – made of Magnesian Limestone – is in the Perpendicular Gothic style.

The west window to the tower in dolomitic limestone

The masonry in the Victorian additions is formed of much smaller blocks and is generally lighter in colour, having not yet developed a dark patina like that seen in the mediaeval structure. As a building stone, the sandstone used here is moderately durable but, like other Pennine Middle Coal Measures Formation sandstones, it contains beds of silt that are susceptible to weathering and it would only have been used locally.

A weathered gargoyle on the tower