Weight: 1008 lbs Diameter: 37.5" Bell 1 of 1
Founded by Thomas II Eayre 1761
Dove Bell ID: 60648 Tower ID: 23815 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Stoke Dry: St Andrew
Diocese of Peterborough
Church, 628374
This church is on the Heritage at Risk Register (verified 2025-11-06)
View more information about this church on the Heritage at Risk website
Overview
Grid reference: SP 855 967
With its raised location, overlooking the Eyebrook Reservoir, and thin west tower, the mottled ironstone rubble church of St Andrew in the hamlet of Stoke Dry has exceptional landscape value. The church was originally built in the early 12th century as an aisleless building, but was enlarged approximately a century later with the addition of a south aisle and chapel. In the early part of the 14th century, a north aisle was added (or older one rebuilt), followed by the remodelling of the entirety of the fabric. From there, minor additions and restorations continued to be made.
Visiting and facilities
Building is open for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
3-bay aisled nave, chancel, south chapel, south porch, north porch, small west tower.
Dimensions:
Nave c 12m (39 ft) x 5.7m (18 ft), chancel 6.5m (21ft) long, narrow north and wider south aisle.
Footprint of Church buildings: 281 m²
Description of Archaeology and History
The manor of Stoke (Dry) was mentioned in Domesday, but no church. The Grange in the village probably belonged to the Knights Hospitallers, who held land in the area. All the possessions of the Hospitallers in Stoke Dry, including the advowson of the church, were granted to Richard Hayles of Gloucester and Nicholas Temple in 1543. Stoke Dry was a residence of the Digby family, implicated in the Gunpowder Plot. Nearby is a Deserted Medieval Village (Snelston), which the church used to serve, hence its expansion with aisles and chapel. The site is of high archaeological potential and the Historic Environment Record should be consulted if any development of the church or site is considered.
The original church appears to have been an aisleless early 12th-century building represented by the present nave and square-ended chancel. The only remaining architectural features are two portions of stringcourse in the chancel, the responds of the chancel arch, the shafts and one of the capitals, and a piscine, all apparently of 12th-century date. This building was enlarged in the early part of the 13th century by the addition of a south aisle and a chapel was built on the south side of the chancel, the south aisle widened and connected with the chapel by an arch, and the tower probably added. Early in the 14th century a north aisle was added, or an older one rebuilt, the beginning of an extensive remodelling of the whole fabric, which probably was not completed until about 1330.
The south porch was added or rebuilt in the 16th century, the north in the 17th. There was extensive restoration in 1898 paid for by William Campbell MA, when the chancel and north aisle were newly roofed. There were also repairs by Blackwell, Storry & Scott in the 1960s and 70s.
Exterior Description
The west tower is square and quite thin. There is a large 13th century lancet window with hoodmould in the west wall, above it is a narrow pointed loop and clock dial. The belfry has a pointed cusped 2-light opening to each face, and a crenellated parapet above a band of blind tracery. There are no buttresses, a feature of this church.
The north and south porch inner doorways are pointed with continuous moulding and chamfered hoods, and the doorway of the south chapel is of the same character, ie 14th-century. The north porch is gabled and plain, the outer doorway having a wooden lintel; it is probably of 17th-century date. The two-storey south porch has an upper room approached by a projecting stair from the aisle. It has a moulded plinth, short diagonal buttresses, and a hollow moulding below the parapet. The 4-centred outer arch of the doorway is of two chamfered orders, with hood-mould, the inner order on half-round responds with circular moulded bases and octagonal battlemented capitals. The upper chamber has a projection with a small oriel window of three trefoiled lights and one on each return, corbelled out over the doorway and finishing in a high embattled moulding. Above the window, in the face of the parapet, is a large canopied niche.
There are plain parapets on the south side of the nave. A 14th-century scroll stringcourse runs below the windows of each aisle, that on the south side being much broken. The windows of the south aisle have been altered, apparently in the 17th century, but those in the south wall retain their original wave-moulded jambs; the smaller square-headed window in the west wall appears to have been wholly renewed, or to be an insertion. In the north aisle, east of the doorway, is an unaltered square-headed window of two trefoiled lights, a similar one west of it is now partly blocked by the stair to the later upper porch chamber.
The clearstorey is probably of the late 14th century, and has three square-headed windows on each side, except the easternmost on the south side, which is of three lights, no doubt in order to throw increased light on to the rood and rood-loft. A moulded stack rises from the east end of the south aisle.
The chancel and chapel are flush at the east end under separate roofs. There is a short length of external Norman stringcourse on the north side of the chancel. The chancel has a pointed east window of three trefoiled lights with angular Geometrical tracery; below the sill is a stringcourse. A 3-light window in the north wall, altered probably in the 17th century, has a square head with wooden lintel on the inside, but the jambs and mullions are old.
The chapel has a pointed east window of three trefoiled lights, with angular Geometrical tracery and chamfered hood-mould, and in the south wall a smaller 2-light window with quatrefoil in the head. At sill level is an external scroll stringcourse. On the south wall of the chapel and the adjoining buttress are three scratch dials.
Building Fabric and Features
Nave
12th century 3-bay
Chancel
12th century square-ended
Chapel (component)
13th century south chapel
Porch
16th century south porch
Porch
17th century north porch
Tower (component)
13th century small west tower
Aisle
13th century south aisle
Aisle
14th century north aisle
Building Materials
Collyweston Slate
12th Century
Collyweston Slate
Lincolnshire Limestone
12th Century
Lincolnshire Limestone
Uppingham Stone
12th Century
Uppingham Stone
Sandstone
17th century sandstone ashlar to the north porch
Stone
12th century + Ironstone rubble with freestone dressings to the rest of the church
Slate
19th century Collyweston slate roof to the chancel, chapel and porch (reroofing)
Lead
Unknown Rest of the roofing
Interior
Interior Description
Moving inside, the church is limewashed throughout, with many fine and important Medieval wall paintings on show. There are also remains of post-Reformation texts over a series of emblems of the Partiarchs to the clearstorey, but more importantly a St Andrew with his cross on the chancel east wall, and a St Christopher carrying Christ and St Edmund being pierced with arrows on the south wall of the south chapel. These may by late 13th century.
The latter is flanked by two archers whose headgear does indeed remind one of Native Americans, as suggested in the literature in the church, but the theory that this is a folk memory dating back to the Viking expeditions to the New World need not be afforded undue credence. One has a feathered or horned head dress; both have otherwise Medieval English garb. The intention is to depict the Vikings as pagans, savages. They are, in any case, extremely vibrant and arresting images.
Starting again at the west end, the handsome organ case stands in front of the tall pointed tower arch of two chamfered orders, the inner order on half-round moulded corbels supported on carved heads. The arch is apparently of early 14th-century date. Looking up there is a wooden ceiling through which a single bell rope and ladder issues.
Looking east and first up, there are fine though restored 14th-century roofs to the nave and south aisle, with carved bosses. The north aisle and chancel roofs are Victorian and plain. The nave is tightly packed with dark-stained Victorian benches with some re-used Medieval ends with poppyheads, many damaged. There is also a rather over-sized Victorian pulpit and reading desk. Lighter stained 20th-century benches facing north in front of the arch to the south chapel. The floor is of stone flags with many ledgers dating to the 17th, 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. Several of the later ones are arranged around the Victorian font at the west end of the south aisle.
Fixtures and fittings
Altar
17th century communion table with turned legs
Pulpit
19th century square, ornately carved oak on a stone base with stone steps
Lectern
19th century oak reading stand, stone base, ornately carved, of a piece with the pulpit
Font (component)
19th century the font is Victorian, octagonal, plain
Stained Glass (window)
19th century the east window of the chancel has Suffer the Children by Heaton Butler & Bayne, installed after 1898 in memory of William Campbell MA, the donor for the restoration
Tomb (component)
15th - 16th century Three Digby monuments, which stand respectively in the chancel, chapel and south aisle. Of these the earliest is a plain freestone table-tomb at the east end of the aisle, with alabaster slab bearing an incised figure of Jaqueta Digby (died 1496), relict of the Everard Digby killed at the battle of Towton. The fine alabaster table tomb with recumbent effigies of Kenelm Digby (died 1590) and his wife Anne Cope (died 1602) stands against the wall in the south-east corner of the chancel within the altar rails. A fine 16th-century freestone table tomb against the north wall of the chapel, with a much mutilated and headless effigy of Sir Everard Digby (died 1540), who is represented in plate armour; the inscription round the verge of the slab has perished.
Plaque (component)
19th - 20th century Also a small collection of modest 19th- and early 20th-century plaques.
Organ (component)
19th century of 1810 by Lincoln of London
Bells
Portable Furnishings and Artworks
The first volume of the registers contains entries from 1559 to 1783, and the second from 1783 to 1812, held at the PRO.
Churchyard
Grid reference: SP 855 967
Burial and War Grave Information
It is unknown whether the building is consecrated.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has been used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard is used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has war graves.
Environment
Ancient, Veteran & Notable Trees
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
There are no records of Ancient, Veteran or Notable Trees within the curtilage of this site.
Renewables
| Renewable | Installed |
|---|---|
| Solar PV Panels | No |
| Solar Thermal Panels | No |
| Biomass | No |
| Wind Turbine | No |
| Air Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ground Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ev Charging | No |
Species summary
There are no records of species within the curtilage of this site.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
'Seek advice' Species
More information on species and action to be taken upon discovery.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
Further information
Sources
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