St. Mary Handsworth - The Exterior

A general view of the church of St. Mary the Virgin in Handsworth

 

The church of St. Mary the Virgin in Handsworth is set on the brow of an escarpment of Pennine Middle Coal Measures Formation sandstone, which forms a high point above the surrounding landscape and can easily be seen from St. Helen's church in Treeton.

The Pennine Middle Coal Measures Formation around Handsworth & Treeton

Although I had to wait for the Heritage Open Days event before I could take a good look at its interior, I had briefly surveyed its exterior several months previously, and when approaching the church from the main entrance on its north side, I was struck by the very strange Victorian north aisle, which completely obscures its mediaeval origins.

A general view of the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Handsworth

The tower and its steeple have been rebuilt several times since the 12th century - with it once been destroyed by lightning in 1698 and struck again in 1978 - and when looking very closely at the stonework, a wide variety of repairs can be seen and, like St. Andrew's church in Bolton upon Dearne, parts of it appear to have been coated with an indeterminate material.

The south elevation of the tower

The castellated vestry and the simple porch, together with the south aisle, were added in 1904 by John Dodsley Webster and these additions further obscure the mediaeval origins of this church. Although the nave rises to the height of a clerestory, as is usual in mediaeval churches that were expanded in the late C15, there are no windows to be seen here.

A general view of the south aisle

Moving on to the chancel, which is Early English Gothic in style, the steep slope of the roof and the narrow lancet windows are very characteristic of this period in architectural design and, on its north side, the small St. Katherine's Chapel is of similar date.

The chancel