St. Lawrence Hatfield - The Exterior II

The porch at St. Lawrence's church in Hatfield

When approaching St. Lawrence’s church from the south-east, all that is seen is the late Perpendicular Gothic structure, built in dolomitic limestone ashlar; however, walking clockwise around the church, this first impression is soon dispelled. The C15 clerestory is also built in  dolomitic limestone - albeit slightly pink in places - but the south aisle is very different. 

The south aisle and clerestory

From the foundations up to the level of the window sills, the walling is built with randomly sized cobbles and above this – to just higher than the windows – it comprises roughly squared courses of limestone, with some reused cobbles in the lower parts. 

A detail of the masonry between the porch and the south aisle

Looking at the distinct joint between the masonry that surrounds the porch, it is clearly evident that this section of walling was rebuilt to incorporate new windows. Although different in size, they have the same general shape and their tracery appears to be transitional from an intersecting to a reticulated design – indicating a late C13 to early C14 date. 

A general view showing the upper section of masonry in the south aisle

Above this mediaeval masonry, three courses of squared and coursed pale coloured limestone are set below the eaves, which suggests that the roof of the south aisle was raised during one of the phases of restoration/alteration in the C19. 

The east wall of the porch

Moving on, the official church guide refers to the porch being added in the Middle Ages and the masonry in its east wall is generally similar to that seen in the alterations to the south aisle, with the lower irregular section being succeeded by larger well squared courses. 

A general view of the west and south walls of the porch

The south and west elevations, however, are built of out of cobbles that have been very well sorted for size and shape, are laid in distinguishable courses, and look very different to the pattern of cobbles in the south aisle. Furthermore, the quoins, the dressings to the arch and the west window have very sharp profiles and this makes me think that the porch could have been altered substantially during the C19. 

The south door

Inside the porch, the C12 door is surrounded by masonry that comprises roughly squared blocks of limestone, which are varied in shape and size, but are regularly coursed. This pattern continues in the west end of the south aisle, where there is a small square headed slit window and the cobbles are occasionally mixed with limestone in the walling.

The west end of the south aisle

St. Lawrence Hatfield - The Exterior I

A general view of St. Lawrence's church from the south-east

When surveying potential RIGS (Regionally Important Geological Sites) in north-east Doncaster, back in 1997, I briefly stopped at St. Lawrence’s church in Hatfield to photograph the cobbles that have been used to build its porch. 22 years later, having discovered that cobbles have also been used at St. Oswald’s church in Kirk Sandall, I decided to visit Hatfield again and take a much closer look at it. 

Superficial geology to the north-east of Doncaster

Located 10 km to the north-east of Doncaster in area of flat lowland, where superficial Quaternary deposits generally cover the underlying soft sandstone of the Triassic Chester Formation, the old village of Hatfield is built in red brick and is 3.5 km from the River Don at Stainforth. 

The approach to St. Lawrence's church from the south-east

Approaching St. Lawrence’s church from the south-east gate to the churchyard, the first view is of a very large late Perpendicular Gothic cruciform structure, with a large south transept and a central tower, built out of fine dolomitic limestone ashlar from the Cadeby Formation. 

A modern road route from Roche Abbey to Hatfield

The Abbot of Roche Abbey, whose land holdings extended over a considerable part of South Yorkshire and beyond, and included nearby Dunscroft Grange, was responsible for the appointment of priests at Hatfield from 1347 to 1507 and the church guide states that the stone came from its quarries - a distance of 22 km as the crow flies, or 34 km according to the best route available now between Roche Abbey and Hatfield, excluding the M18 motorway. 

A general view from the north-east

The most accessible outcrop of the Cadeby Formation is along the Don Gorge, which falls within the old Manor of Conisbrough and has been extensively quarried for hundreds of years. For purely logistical regions, it would have been much easier to ship stone along the River Don and move it a short distance overland, as well as transport costs being considerably reduced. 

Savage family crests on the west face of the tower

Extensive re-building took place in the period 1480-1500, with several masons' marks confirming these dates and, based on crests of the Savage family, the tower has been dated to the Tudor period, with the north St. Catherine’s Chapel and the south Lady Chapel being added in in the C16 – the latter in 1530. 

Late Perpendicular Gothic tracery to the south transept and chancel

Except for the two late chapels, which have are square headed and have cusped tracery on their principal elevations, the late Perpendicular Gothic style is characterised by its four centred arched windows and tracery that is formed of upright straight sided panels, without cusps. 

Tracery to the St. Catherine's and Lady Chapels

Although the dolomitic limestone used for the late C15 masonry is generally a uniform cream colour, St. Catherine’s chapel has some distinctly yellow stone and it also appears that very pale limestone has been use for deliberate decorative effect in the parapet – in its base course, quatrefoils, square medallions and the finials. 

A detail of the parapet to St. Catherine's Chapel

Looking closely at the stonework, particularly to the south transept and adjoining Lady Chapel, much of the limestone exhibits ripples and, where there are less well cemented beds, these have been often been differentially weathered. This has often led to cavernous decay, which has been repaired variously with sand and cement or stone slips and sometimes with new blocks of stone.

Various repairs to the Lady Chapel

A Geology Field Trip in Pontefract

The magazine at Pontefract Castle

Following my visit to St. Oswald’s church in Kirk Sandall, my next day out a few days later was as the leader of a field trip to Pontefract with the Sheffield U3A Geology Group. Having developed the idea for this over a period of a few years, and prepared it in detail the month earlier with my friend Paul May, 23 of us, including our guest Adrian Pope, turned up at Friarwood Car Park on an overcast day to find that the payment machine had been stolen. 

 

A geological map of Pontefract

After a quick introduction, where I explained how the distinctive ridge on which Pontefract is set has been controlled by the subsidence and faulting of the Earth’s crust, we briefly examined the Newstead Rock behind Stringers Coaches before setting off up Southgate to the site of the now inaccessible Pontefract Hermitage. 

Newstead Rock (photograph by Paul May)

Here, Adrian told us about the history of Pontefract Priory and, after a brief discussion about the formation of the valley in which the park is set and the mediaeval burgage plots on the opposite side of the road, we set off to Dark Lane to examine exposures of the Yellow Sands Formation. 

Stopping to look at the Yellow Sands Formation in a back yard

In this part of Pontefract, it was extensively mined using the pillar and stall method for use in the local glass making industry and as moulding sand in iron foundries. In several places, the collapse of the pillars has led to severe problems of subsidence of houses built above them. 

The Yellow Sands Formation

Adrian then showed the Group the spectacular exposure of the Yellow Sands Formation in his garden, the like of which is not very often encountered along its outcrop. Apart from myself and Paul, the rest of the Group had never seen before and this was appreciated by everyone. 

Pontefract Museum (photograph by Linda Jackson)

We then set off to the centre of Pontefract, where we had a quick look at the building stones used in the Buttercross and St. Giles’ church, before spending ten minutes in Pontefract Museum to look at some fine Bagley's Glass and the painting of Pontefract Castle before it was demolished and the magnificent Art Nouveau tiles and mosaic in the reception. 

The plaster cast for Admiral Nelson's death scene in Pontefract Town Hall

A trip to Pontefract is not complete without buying some Pontefract Cakes and, after the shop in the old market building did some good business with our Group, Adrian took us to the Town Hall to have a quick look at the original plaster cast model of Admiral Nelson’s death scene, for moulding the bronze casting on Nelson’s Column, and then made our way down to Pontefract Castle where we had lunch. 

Masonry at Pontefract Castle (photograph by Paul May)

The afternoon session started with a walk down Castle Garth to All Saints church, stopping very briefly to look at the foundations of the Anglo-Saxon church, and we had a good look at the various building stones and learned about its role during the English Civil War. 

All Saints church

Returning to Pontefract Castle, we finished our day out with a tour of the castle magazine, which was excavated in the C11 and has since been used for miscellaneous storage purposes and for keeping prisoners - many of whom scratched their names into the walls.

The magazine at Pontefract Castle

St. Oswald's Church - The Interior

The chancel arch

It didn’t take long to walk around the exterior of St. Oswald’s church to photograph and make observations on the principal points of interest and, having identified various phases of construction, I was keen to have a look around the interior for further evidence of this. 

A view when entering the south door

After walking through the south door, I soon discovered that just about every bit of space in the nave and aisles, which I wanted to examine in detail, was occupied by display boards, maps and miscellaneous information that had been laid out by the Friends of St. Oswald’s. In addition, a surprisingly large number of volunteers and general visitors were gathered around them – and I knew that I would I would have to come back another time to take a good look at these. 

Views of the south aisle

Making the most of the time that I spent inside St. Oswald’s church, I quickly spotted the Norman font and I also noted the thickness of the walls in the south aisle, exposed by the splayed slit windows that occupy the west and east end. At the east end, a sharp diagonal line can be seen where the height and pitch of the aisle roof has been altered, which is also seen on the exterior. 

Masonry in the nave

Although I didn’t have the time to study the construction details, I was interested to see the large concrete beams that support the tower that was rebuilt in 1935, to replace the earlier Victorian structure. Looking at the masonry along the nave and the south arcade I could also see the variation in the style of masonry that has accompanied the raising of the roof here, which is also quite noticeable in the chancel. 

Views of the north and south arcades

The arcades, which are considered to be late C12 to early C13, are quite unusual in that the central octagonal columns and the semi-circular responds support much thicker unmoulded arches, with walls of rubble masonry above. 

Gothic arches in the Rokeby Chapel

The Gothic arches to the Rokeby Chapel, entering from the chancel and the north aisle, have elaborate mouldings and capitals and contrast strongly with those in the arcades and also with the flat Tudor arches seen in the windows. 

Monuments in the Rokeby Chapel

The limestone ashlar lined Rokeby Chapel has a couple of substantial monuments to William and Thomas Rokeby, with the white and veined marble of the latter being complimented by a black marble back panel and a carving of a raven, which was the family emblem.

A detail of the raven on the tomb of Thomas Rokeby

When planning my visit, which takes nearly 2 hours with a bus, 2 trains and a walk, I had hoped that the June weather would improve and that I could explore the church at leisure, before exploring the riverside; however, it didn’t improve and, with a need to do some shopping, I decided to just take essential photos and get back to Doncaster market, to buy some fish.

A display at a fish stall at Doncaster market

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

St. Oswald's Church in Kirk Sandall - II

The west end of St. Oswald's church

Taking only a brief look at the south elevation of St. Oswald’s church, different phases of building can be seen in the distinct changes in the style of masonry and building materials, which makes it very interesting to both the geologist and archaeologist. 

A plan of St. Oswald's church from Saxon Churches in South Yorkshire by P.F. Ryder

Starting at the west elevation, and discounting the C20 vestry, distinctly yellow blocks of dolomitic limestone ashlar have been used in the lower part of the west end of the north aisle and its buttresses, which Ryder considers to be possibly C18 in date. 

A general view from the north-west

There is a great difference between this and the rubble masonry of the nave, to the right, and also with the mixture of flat and roughly squared stones that are placed above it. Looking very closely, the junction between these structural elements can be identified by the quoins of the west end of the nave that are seen above the buttress. 

The junction between the west end of the north aisle and the nave

The nave itself is considered to be the oldest part of the church, with its lowest section of walling comprising roughly squared and coursed dolomitic limestone and occasion cobbles of sandstone. This is seen up to the approximate level of the window sill, which is in the style of c.1310 according to Pevsner but its condition suggests a Victorian renewal. 

The west window of the nave and surrounding masonry

From here up to the quatrefoil in the gable, the masonry comprises a random mixture of irregular blocks of massive and thin bedded limestone and cobbles and angular blocks of sandstone, with several courses above the level of intersecting tracery laid in a herringbone pattern. 

Herringbone masonry in the gable to the west end of the nave

A church was recorded in Domesday Book and legend has it that the body of St. Oswald, the king of Northumbria, was rested here after his death in AD 642. It has been suggested in Pevsner that the west wall is largely Anglo-Saxon and it is certainly older than the C12 south aisle, which is butted against it. 

The west end of the north aisle

Looking closely at the stonework of the gable, it can be clearly seen that the roof has been raised, probably during the C19 when the tower was added and the aisles raised. Apart from the trefoil, the cross to the apex and the occasional walling stone, nearly all of the stones are irregular in shape and are well weathered – indicating that they have been recycled from pre-existing structural elements.

A detail of the masonry in the gable to the west end of the nave