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| St. Helen's church |
The first event that I planned to attend during Church Explorers Week 2024 was St. James’ church in High Melton but, to make a good day out with a walk, I decided to first have a look at the exterior of St. Helen’s church in Marr – described by Historic England (HE) as “C12 origin, tower added and rest remodelled C13 - early C14, C15 additions”.
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| Views of St. Helen's church |
Alighting from the half hourly X19 bus from Doncaster to Barnsley, which I had travelled on in the opposite direction when visiting St. Wilfred’s church in Hickleton, once I had been able to cross the very busy A635 road and continue along Church Lane, the confined plot, surrounding trees and the very tall spire made it quite difficult to take general photographs of this Grade I Listed church.
Even at a distance, I could see the various phases of construction on its south elevation and that it is built with dolomitic limestone from the Cadeby Formation. Looking at the 1854 edition of the Ordnance Survey map, three old quarries are marked in the immediate vicinity.
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| Quarries shown on the 1854 Ordnance Survey map |
The Hills and Holes was one of the sites that Doncaster MBC asked me to survey as an independent geologist, following on from the Doncaster Geodiversity Assessment that I produced when temporarily working for the British Geological Survey, and the stone to build St. Helen’s church very probably came from at least one of these quarries.
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| Views of the tower |
Starting my anticlockwise walk around the exterior at the tower, which Pevsner suggests was built c.1300, to my eye there seems to be quite a noticeable difference between the shape, coursing and surface finish to the masonry of the lower two stages and the belfry, which suggests that the latter was added at a later date.
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| the castellated parapet and a gargoyle |
The castellated parapet, with its crocketed pinnacles and gargoyles on the string course, is built with large ashlar blocks that is quite typical of the Perpendicular Gothic style and, along with the ashlar spire, is considered to date to the C15 – as is the ashlar built porch, which has bold transverse arches and, as seen on the rest of the church, a stone slate roof.
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| Views of the porch |
Moving along to the south aisle, the walling comprises moderately well squared and coursed masonry, with windows of two different styles, which HE describe as a 3-light window with cavetto-moulded mullions and Tudor-arched lights and the other simply as a 2-light window with ogee-headed lights – a style that is normally associated with the C14.
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| The south aisle |
The walling itself is probably part of the C13/C14 remodelling, which is further indicated by the junction of the east end of the aisle with the chancel. Here, the quoins to the nave can be clearly seen, which Pevsner assigns to the C12 along with the chancel.
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| The junction between the south aisle and chancel |
The chancel is built with rubble walling that is much cruder than that seen in the south aisle and the lancet windows to its west end are evidence of the c.1300 alterations cited by Pevsner. To the east of this is a priest’s door with a square hood mould over a door with a four centred arch.
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| The south elevation of the chancel |
Above this is a remnant of a tall narrow arch that HE describes as a lancet, but which could actually be a C12 round headed arch. To the right of the door, another window with an ogee arch and well squared and shape to its surrounds and to the right of this is a blocked lancet.
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| Weathered masonry |
Due to time constraints, I didn’t have time to closely examine the stonework, but I noted that much of the dolomitic limestone, which is sometimes yellow and pink in colour, has not weathered well and that inappropriate sand and cement repairs have been undertaken in several places.
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| The east end of the chancel |
Continuing around the east end of the chancel, where a late C15 window has been inserted, I took a few quick general record photographs of the north elevation, which the very bright sunshine made it quite difficult to photograph – a very negative characteristic of my Panasonic Lumix TZ100 camera that I have previously mentioned when describing my visit to Morley.
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| Views of the north elevation |
Getting closer to the north side of the church, herringbone masonry in the chancel and particularly the nave, provide evidence of its C12 origins that both HE and Pevsner mention, but the Corpus for Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland website has no record for this church.
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| Herringbone masonry |
Looking closely at the restored window to the north elevation of the nave, the brownish patina and patterns in the bedding looked out of place and, testing it with a drop of hydrochloric acid, I obtained a positive reaction and observing it closely with my hand lens, I could see that Jurassic oolitic limestone has been used here.
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| Jurassic limestone used to restore the window |
When visiting several other mediaeval churches in Doncaster, which are built with dolomitic limestone from the Cadeby Formation, I have noted that the Victorian restoration of many window dressings has used Ancaster limestone from the Lincolnshire Limestone Formation, which is very probably seen here.
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| A view east along the north elevation |
Making my way along the north elevation to the tower, which Pevsner describes as being oddly narrowly embraced by two bays, the random rubble walling with herringbone masonry to the nave is replaced by more evenly squared and coursed masonry, which is continued on the south elevation and the lancet windows indicate a c.1300 date.
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| Masonry to the south side of the tower |
I finished my very brief look at the exterior of St. Helen’s church by noting a few 'honest repairs' using stone slips, which was first advocated by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB). I have seen this technique used for many Grade I Listed churches built in limestone and sandstone ashlar, but not for rubble walling.
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| An honest repair (22 mm diameter coin) |
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