St James' Church, Charfield

St James' Church is a historic Anglican church at Churchend in the village of Charfield, Gloucestershire, England and is under the care of The Churches Conservation Trust.[1] It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building.[2] It stands on a steep hillside overlooking a valley.[1]

St James' Church, Charfield
St James' Church, Charfield, from the north
St James' Church, Charfield
Location in Gloucestershire
OS grid referenceST 718 911
LocationCharfield, Gloucestershire
CountryEngland
DenominationAnglican
Website
Architecture
Functional statusRedundant
Heritage designationGrade I
Designated30 March 1960
Architectural typeChurch
StyleGothic
Groundbreaking13th century
Completed15th century
Specifications
MaterialsStone with Cotswold stone slate roofs

History

The church originates from the 13th century.[2] It was largely rebuilt in the 15th century, using money from the local wool trade. During the 18th century the industry moved into the valley, isolating the church.[1] It was repaired during the 1970s.[2]

Architecture

St James' is constructed in stone rubble, with Cotswold stone slate roofs. Its plan consists of a nave with a south aisle and a north porch, a chancel, and a west tower. The tower is in four stages with diagonal buttresses. In the top stage are two-light bell openings, and the parapet is battlemented.[2] On top of the tower is a saddleback roof.[1] In the north wall of the nave are two three-light windows, between which is a porch with a pierced parapet and a niche for a statue. The chancel contains two three-light windows in the north wall, a three-light east window, and a blocked priest's door. Along the wall of the south aisle are three three-light windows.[2]

Internally, between the nave and the south aisle is a three-bay arcade with octagonal piers. In the nave is a squint. The chancel contains a trefoil-headed piscina and the remains of heads to image niches. There are memorials dated 1717 and 1756.[2]

External features

The churchyard contains five separate chest tombs, and a group of four chest tombs, all of which are designated as Grade II listed buildings. They all date from the 18th century and are in limestone ashlar.[3][4][5][6][7] The group of four tombs date from the same period and are surrounded by cast iron railings.[8] Also in the churchyard is a memorial to the 15 people who were killed in the Charfield railway disaster in 1928,[9] and the war grave of a World War II airman.[10]

See also

References
  1. St James' Church, Charfield, Gloucestershire, Churches Conservation Trust, retrieved 29 March 2011
  2. Historic England, "Church of St James, Charfield (1321189)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 20 November 2013
  3. Historic England, "Chest tomb 6 yards southeast of chancel of St James' Church, Charfield (1114962)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 20 November 2013
  4. Historic England, "Chest tomb 10 yards southeast of priest's door of St James' Church, Charfield (1114963)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 20 November 2013
  5. Historic England, "Chest tomb 11 yards southeast of priest's door of St James' Church, Charfield (1321190)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 20 November 2013
  6. Historic England, "Chest tomb 12 yards southeast of priest's door of St James' Church, Charfield (1114964)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 20 November 2013
  7. Historic England, "Chest tomb 13 yards southeast of priest's door of St James' Church, Charfield (1321191)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 20 November 2013
  8. Historic England, "Group of 4 chest tombs 3 yards southwest of south door of St James' Church, Charfield (1114965)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 20 November 2013
  9. Mystery of train death children, BBC, 13 October 2008, retrieved 24 October 2010
  10. DAVIS, HERBERT PERCY, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, retrieved 7 February 2013
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