St. James Barlborough Revisited

A view along the nave to the east

During my first visit to the church of St. James the Greater in Barlborough, I had to use my old Canon EOS 400D camera, instead of my Canon PowerShot G16, and my photos of its interior were unsatisfactory, due to a colour cast that I could not rectify. 

The west side of the chancel arch

The major phase of restoration from 1894 to 1899, which included the rebuilding of the south arcade and south aisle, involved the re-plastering of the internal walls, leaving only the stonework to the arcades and arches to the tower and chancel exposed. 

A capital on the north arcade

With little opportunity to study the archaeology of the mediaeval fabric, especially the north aisle and the Lady Chapel, and having previously noted the main points of interest, I only spent time to take some general photographs of the interior during my return visit. 

The north arcade

The four bay north arcade, dated 1160-1170 according to the church guide, is the oldest feature in the church and comprises two octagonal columns and one that is quatrefoil in plan, with all of them having capitals that are sparingly carved with waterleaf decoration and round arches above. The sandstone of the arcade is obscured by the remains of C19 plaster, which was removed in 1933, and the east column still retains traces of original painted colours, although I did not see them. 

The south arcade

The very late Victorian south arcade at first glance appears to mimic the octagonal columns and round arches of the north arcade; however, looking closely, the arches are very slightly pointed. 

The tower arch

Both the tower and chancel arches are good examples of the Early English style, with the former composed of three orders that is similar in style to those of the Norman period and the latter having imposts that are elaborately decorated with leaves. 

The chancel arch

A few wall memorials of no great merit are scattered around the walls but, at the east end of the north aisle, an alabaster effigy of Lady Furnival, Joan Neville – d.1395 – is set into the floor; however, its rather cramped position and the iron cage that protects it makes it difficult to study. 

A detail of the effigy of Joan Neville

At the west end of the nave, the late Victorian font is remarkable mainly for the marble used in the colonnettes that support the bowl but, when leaving the church, the damaged remains of the mediaeval font is on display.

The Victorian (L) and mediaeval (R) fonts