St. Oswald's Church in Kirk Sandall - III

A Victorian headstop to the south aisle window in Jurassic oolitic limestone 

For a standing buildings archaeologist, the west elevation of St. Oswald's church has the most interesting features, and is possibly Anglo-Saxon in date, but the rest of the structure has also had a construction history that is worth studying in detail.

Masonry to the west side of the porch

The style of masonry in the west side of C19 porch is quite unusual, with its mix of triangular blocks of limestone and thin slabs of laminated Coal Measures sandstone and, like many mediaeval dolomitic limestone churches restored by Victorian architects, the arch and dressings to the porch and the window to the south aisle have been restored in Jurassic oolitic limestone. 

Jurassic oolitic limestone used for the arch and headstops to the porch

On the south aisle, the change in the pattern of the masonry above the cobbles suggests a considerable change to the height of the south wall, due to the insertion of the Decorated Gothic style window in the C14 and to the raising of the roof in the C19. 

A general view of the east end of the south aisle

Most of the limestone, with its distinctive pale cream colour and massive nature, is from the Cadeby Formation, however, there is some thin bedded limestone, with distinct laminations and a very noticeable pale pink colouration, which is dolomitic limestone from the Brotherton Formation (formerly the Upper Magnesian Limestone). 

Limestone from the Brotherton Formation in the east end of the south aisle

A close look at the cobbles shows that these are essentially Carboniferous sandstone, with some deeply reddened examples that, along with occasional limestone fragments, look like they have been subjected to a fire. 

Cobbles in the east end of the south aisle

The chancel, with its C15 windows, is considered to be the same age as the nave and the materials and style of masonry appear to support this. Moving further clockwise, the masonry to the C16 Rokeby Chapel is very different to anything before and comprises large blocks of fine dolomitic limestone ashlar, quarried from the Cadeby Formation. 

A C15 window in the east end of the chancel

It is designed in a very late Perpendicular Gothic style and the window tracery is extremely simple, with the north windows having no cusps. All the windows have been restored to some extent and the entire east window has been blocked in with plain ashlar. 

The Rokeby Chapel

A small section of the north aisle is visible between the Rokeby Chapel and the modern vestry and, apart from the moulded eaves detail and the window, which matches that of the west end, the masonry is broadly similar to that of the chancel.

The remaining visible section of the north aisle