Listed Building record MDR4741 - St Clement's Church, Church Street, Horsley

St Clement's Church, Church Street, Horsley, originally an early 14th century building. 'St Clement's Church, Horsley, is not mentioned in Domesday Book but must have been built fairly soon afterwards by the Burons as Hugh de Buron, in the reign of Stephen, gave the advowson to the priory of Lenton. The church consists of nave, aisles, south porch, chancel, with a tower and spire at the west end. The tower, surmounted by a broached spire, is of about the middle of the 14th century. The arcade between the north aisle and the nave is of three pointed arches supported on octagonal pillars. It corresponds in date with the tower and spire, as does the archway into the chancel. The south arcade is similar, but supported on circular columns and of rather earlier date. Strictly speaking, this arcade is ohnly a few years old, having been completely rebulit, but it was reconstructed following the former plan and many of the same stones were re-used. In about 1450, the church was extensively altered. The walls above the nave arcades were raised and clerestory windows were inserted. The chancel was rebuilt and Perpendicular windows were inserted in various parts of the church. On the south side of the church are some remarkable and far-protruding gargoyles. The church was restored in 1858-60.' (1) "It appears from Dr Cox's account of Denby Church that the arcade between the nave and north aisle (ruthlessly destroyed in 1838) was obviously of Saxon origin - and as Denby was only a chapel of Horsley, and was dependent on the mother church for its spiritual ministrations, there can be no doubt, but a church existed at Horsley in Anglo Saxon times." [The writer considers it improbable that the church was built by the Burons because there is no Norman work in the present church] "The earliest portion (erected about 1210) is the west end of the aisle…The tower and nave.. ..about 1310 - and the next in sequence are the chancel, the south aisle, the clerestory, and the upper portion of the walls of the north aisle, all constructed about 1450. A church erected by the Burons would not have required reconstruction so early as the 13th. Century." (2) 'The bells of St Clement's are of historical significance. One was made by H I Oldfield of Nottingham in circa 1570 and the other is a good example of the work of founder Godfrey Heathcote of Chesterfield, made in 1603.' (5) From the National Heritage List for England: 'SK 34 SE 4/26 13.02.67 PARISH OF HORSLEY CHURCH STREET (west side) Church of St Clement GV I Parish church. Early C14, mid C15 with restoration 1858-60. Sandstone ashlar with sandstone dressings. Shallow pitched lead roofs with embattled parapets with ridgeback copings, mostly C19. Moulded plinth, sill string courses and coved eaves band. Western tower with broached stone spire, clerestoried nave with north and south aisles, lower chancel with single bays to north and south and south porch. Three-stage west tower has stepped angle buttresses rising to the third stage, with gableted tops, those to south west corner are placed against an external staircase turret with castellated top. South elevation of the tower has a small pointed chamfered doorcase under hoodmould with carved head label stops. Above chamfered string course in second stage is a cusped ogee headed lancet with hoodmould over. Above again is a two-light louvred bell opening with reticulated tracery, hoodmould and chamfered sill string course. West elevation has two C19 trefoil headed lancets to base and similar openings to those on south face above. North elevation is blank to ground floor and has openings similar to those on west side above spire has moulded cornice to base with corner gargoyles and four gableted lucarnes to four sides on two levels, those below two-light and those above single light. North aisle has low clasping corner buttresses and four C15 flat headed windows with cusped ogee headed lights and pierced spandrels, each set in deeply chamfered surround with hoodmould over. Three western ones are two-light whilst that to east is three-light. Between the windows are stepped buttresses and in the second bay from the west is a blocked pointed chamfered doorcase. Above, plain, slightly projecting parapets and the clerestory with eight segment headed, two-light traceried windows arranged in pairs, with triangular pilasters between rising over the embattled parapets in crocketed pinnacles. East end of north aisle has similar three-light window to that on north side except the head is slightly cambered. Chancel to east has similar two-light window to those of north aisle. East elevation of chancel has central three-light window similar to one on north aisle flanked by diagonal buttresses and with string course below. Above, parapets have corner pinnacles and nave gable has two-light flat headed window with cusped ogee headed lights. South side of chancel has similar window to north side, to east, and a small pointed doorcase with continuous hoodmould to west. South aisle has three-light window with cambered head, deeply chamfered surround with moulded edge, hoodmould with corbelled-like label stops, moulded mullions and cusped ogee-headed lights with pierced spandrels, also string course at sill level. South side of aisle has three similar two-light windows, one beyond the south porch. Between the windows and to either end are stepped buttresses rising into crocketed pinnacles. East end of aisle has two gargoyles. South porch is C15 and has pointed doorcase with moulded jambs flanked by diagonal buttresses. Above is an ogee headed canopy and corbel for statuette and an original stone crucifix. The sides of porch each have two-light flat headed windows with lobed heads to lights. Inner door is early C14 and has elaborate moulding with attached shafts and hoodmould over. INTERIOR: has three bay north and south arcades, both with pointed double-chamfered arches and moulded capitals, southern arcade with columns and northern one with octagonal piers. Triple-chamfered tower arch with moulded capitals to soffit mould and double-chamfered, pointed chancel arch with soffit moulding on corbels, both have C20 oak screens across, that to tower arch installed 1950 and that to chancel arch, in Decorated style, installed 1920. At west end of the chancel to either side, similar arches to chancel arch, that to north through to organ bay and that to south with wooden screen through to vestry. On north side of chancel to east is a small pointed C19 doorcase with similar C15 door opposite and beyond that to east is a triple C15 sedilla with cusped ogee headed niches, and shields to either side above. Nave has blocked pointed northern doorcase with carved C13 head over and also a Caernarvon arched doorcase at clerestory level, from the tower. North and south aisles both have piscinas in their easternmost bays. Also the south aisle has a continuous moulded sill band and moulded doorcase. Roofs all C19 in C16 style. Carved oak reredos installed 1928 and choir stalls in similar style installed 1935. Pulpit and nave pews all c.1860. The font is C15 with octagonal bowl decorated with fleurons, stem probably restored in C19. Several wall memorials, mostly in black slate and white marble, including slightly grander one to William Brooks and wife with weeping classical figure over, of c.1834 in the chancel. The vestry has one good memorial to Hudson family of c.1870 and three other late C18 and early C19 ones. North aisle has three more black and white ones as well as an elaborate Gothick memorial by S Robinson of Derby to the Hunter family of c.1870 and a nice classical alabaster and slate one of c.1767 to the Fletcher family. West end of aisle also has a lead plaque inscribed 'John Woolly Church Warden July 4 1771'. Various stained glass windows, that to chancel east window of 1863, that to east of north aisle of c.1860 and that to east of south aisle of c.1890. Also two central windows of north aisle have stained glass by R A Bell of 1933 and one of south aisle windows has fragments of C14 glass. Listing NGR: SK3753844498' (5)