St. Peter & St. Paul Old Brampton - III

A view east along the nave to the chancel

The exterior of Old Brampton parish church with its broach spire - as at Bolsover, Hope and Baslow – and its miscellaneous stone sculpture has much to interest a geologist and standing buildings archaeologist, and the interior is also very interesting. 

A view west along the nave to the tower

Once inside, after I had discovered how to operate the lighting system, I purchased a guide and soon discovered very many interesting features. Unusually for a church guide, it provides an account of the construction history and complements Pevsner’s description, which on this occasion is quite haphazard and not that easy to follow. 

The north arcade

Starting my investigation with a good look at the form of the 3-bay arcades, the most striking features are the large semi-circular arches that appear over the easternmost two bays. These record an attempt in 1821 to create more space for an ever growing congregation by the removal of the original columns and inserting galleries in the aisles, only for them to be replaced in 1868 by Samuel Rollinson, following the diagnosis of structural problems. 

The south arcade

The responds to both arcades are all octagonal on plan, with the original west column to the north arcade being circular and the equivalent in the south arcade being quatrefoil in plan. Rollinson’s restoration places a quatrefoil column to the north and a circular column to the south, which presumably reflects the original mediaeval configuration, which is considered to be Early English Gothic in date. 

An original quatrefoil column in the south arcade

Looking at the masonry above the arcades, it is not easy to determine obvious changes in the style of masonry that usually accompanies the addition of a clerestory – especially since its irregularly shaped and thinly bedded stones are not discernible from those that constitute the bulk of the earlier parts of the church. 

The west side of the chancel arch

The chancel arch is also very interesting, with a flattened basket arch above the pointed arch built, which suggests that the latter was added at a later date. Above the arch, the masonry exhibits a distinct step that may relate to phase of rebuilding at this point; however, there is no attempt to explain this feature in any of the documentation that I have read. 

The east side of the chancel arch

At the west end of the nave, the pattern of the masonry to the east wall of the tower appears to be severely disrupted between the clerestory and above the internal buttresses, which are an unusual feature, possibly reflecting adjustments to the tower when the clerestory was built.

Disturbed masonry to the east wall of the tower