Listed Building record MDR5636 - St Laurence's Church, Market Place, Long Eaton

St Laurence Church, Market Place, Long Eaton, originally a 12th century building. 'The church at Long Eaton, which is dedicated to St Lawrence, 'now [in 1879] consists of a chancel, nave, aisles, south porch, and tower surmounted by a spire at the west end of the south aisle. The north aisle, nave and chancel are additions of 1868… the old nave and chancel being turned … into a south aisle and chancel chapel… The south doorway, under the porch, is a fine example of late Norman work, probably of the reign of Stephen … The semi-circular archway between the old nave and chancel … we have little or no hesitation in assigning … to Saxon times. The small south window of the (old) nave, deeply splayed and the embrasure finished with 'long and short' work, seems to be also of that period … In the Decorated period, c1350 … the church was evidently restored throughout and the present tower and spire built … In the south wall of the nave is a … window of Perpendicular character …' (1) 'The Church of St Laurence is situated behind the Market Place in Long Eaton. The low and broad church, with its separate north aisle and nave roofs and its south-west tower, is a picture that belongs to Street's rebuilding of 1868. He made the old nave his south aisle, and thereby displaced the old west tower. The old nave has a Norman doorway. In the chancel there are also a few Norman fragments of a doorway. The windows area of the 14th century, straight-headed. The old church has been restored in 1831. In 1868 the old chancel became Street's organ chamber, connected with his new chancel by a two-bay arcade of interesting design. The organ is now over the new vestry of 1905. The chancel roof was decorated in 1936 by Wystan Widdows.' (2) 'Long Eaton Church 'Dr Cox (Authority 1) describes the chancel arch of the old building as 'Saxon' but the voussoirs are not through-stones … and we see evidence of the same exposed rubble core round the intrados of the arch that we noticed at Sawley. Dr Cox also states that the embrasures of the round-headed window in the south wall displays 'long-and-short' work. It may have done so in his day, but since then it has been entirely rebuilt. If he was right on this point the fact would tend to class Long Eaton … as being in Baldwin Brown's Saxo-Norman overlap'. [Mr Fraser theorizes and infers that the chancel arch may have been built by Saxon Masons under Norman direction]. 'Part of a Norman arch and a fragment of the chevron enrichment are built into the new south wall of the original chancel …' ' (4) 'The church consists of chancel, nave, aisles, south porch and tower surmounted by a spire at the west end of the south aisle. The north aisle, nave and chancel are additions of 1868 by the architect GE Street, who turned the old nave and chancel into a south aisle and chancel chapel. The earliest fabric in the church is thought to be 12th century. Cox (authority 2) described the arch between the old nave and chancel as being Saxon, although this is now no longer thought to be the case. The church appears to have been damaged by the fire which destroyed part of Long Eaton in 1693. A tablet by the old chancel arch and a roof timber show the date 1696, while other timbers showing fire damage were found during re-roofing in 1868. Not all the damage appears to have been repaired immediately, as it was reported in 1714 that the chancel was 'altogether out of repaire…'. The church was re-pewed and repaired in 1731 with further alterations and repairs in 1832, followed by the extensive enlargement of 1868 referred to above. During repairs to the old chancel in 1921 a number of stones were found from an earlier phase of the church. These were rebuilt into the outside wall.' (6) From The National Heritage List for England: 'PARISH OF LONG EATON MARKET PLACE SK 43 SE 4/35 (East Side) Church of St Laurence 22.10.62 and St James GV II* Parish church. C12, C14 and C15, rebuilt in 1868 by G E Street, who used the original nave and chancel as his new south aisle and chapel, and added a large nave, north aisle, chancel and north vestry. Rubble stone with quoins to south aisle and ashlar elsewhere. Steeply pitched plain tile roofs with lapped stone coped gables and ridge crosses except for south chapel which has flat roof. Western steeple, nave with large north and south aisles, chancel with chapel to south and vestry to north. Three stage C15 western tower has stepped angle buttress rising to half way up the tower, and a deep moulded plinth. West elevation has chamfered slit windows to first two stages and similar smaller stair windows to south face. The third stage has 2-light flat headed louvred bell openings with cusped mouchettes over cusped lights, to all sides. Above is a moulded stringcourse with central gargoyles, embattled parapets and a recessed octagonal stone spire. To north is the gabled west end of the nave which has a small pointed central doorcase with hoodmould and a large 5-light window over. This has reticulated tracery and two major mullions to sides and a relieving arch over. Slightly recessed to west in north aisle is a similar 5-light window with stepped cusped lights. North elevation of the aisle has three 2-light flat headed windows similar to bell openings, and a pointed, blocked, chamfered doorcase between the western two windows. To east is a buttress which defines the end of the aisle and beyond is small 2-light window similar to those to west. East window of aisle is similar to its western window, and below it is a later addition with four-centred arched doorcase facing north and one 3-light and two single light windows facing east, each with semi-circular cusped headed lights in flat headed surrounds. Plain parapets with ridgeback coping over. To south is the advanced gable of the chancel with short angle buttresses to either side of a 5-light pointed window with elongated cusped lights and two major mullions to centre. South chapel has a cambered headed 3-light east window with cusped lights in deep chamfered surround, flanked by angle buttresses. Above in the gable of the south aisle is a C19 rose window. South elevation of the chapel has one 2-light flat headed window with cusped mouchettes over cusped lights and numerous scattered pieces of C12 carving. South aisle elevation has one 2-light panel tracery window to east with a returned hoodmould and block-like labelstops, and a chamfered C19 single light window with semi-circular head to west. Beyond to west is the porch which has a plain chamfered pointed outer door and a splendid C12 semi-circular headed inner door. This has an inner moulding of beakheads, a central moulding of linked roundels and an outer billet moulding. Volute capitals to inner nookshafts remain but others are missing. Beyond the porch is a flat headed 2-light window similar to that to east with returned hoodmould and carved labelstops. Interior has four bay north and south arcades with double chamfered pointed arches on columns with moulded capitals and bases, also a moulded pointed chancel arch with soffit moulding on corbels and a small C15, moulded pointed tower arch with soffit mould also on corbels. Original chancel arch, now in south aisle, is a C12 semi- circular headed arch with impost band and hood. Nave and aisle roofs have plain collared trusses but chancel has painted pointed timber barrel vault. Chancel has a two bay arcade through to the south chapel with deep double chamfered arches on pairs of octagonal columns. Opposite is a wide four-centred arched organ bay and to east of that is a four-centred arched door through to the vestry. To the south side beyond the arcade to east is a simple stone double sedilla and piscina. North aisle has large moulded, pointed arch to east end filled by 1905 panelled screen to base and organ to top. The screen has Art Nouveau doors with elaborate hinges decorated with enamelled plaques. Carved oak choir stalls, altar and altar rails are dated 1936. The pulpit, also in timber, is c1949 and nave has very plain C19 pews. C19 stone font has moulded circular stem and bowl with cusped blind panelling, also wooden cover. South aisle has small segment headed piscina to south wall and to north side of chapel arch is a painted stone plaque inscribed 'Henry Howit John Baret Chur: warden 1696 and Edward Carter Cleark 55 YE'. Memorials are mostly mid C19 and later, in the south aisle there are two enamelled brass plaques of c1870 and c1876, one slate plaque of c1890, one slate and white marble one of c1850 and one marble and mosaic one of c1912. West wall of south aisle has very blackened hatchment. Chancel has three small brass memorials and the south chapel has one slate and white marble wall memorial to Philip Tallents who died 1843, also the north aisle has one marble plaque of c1915 and a brass war memorial. Late C19 stained glass to chancel east window, chancel north window and three north aisle windows. South chapel has stained glass c1950 to east and south windows and south aisle has one stained glass window of similar date. The other window in south aisle has c1910 stained glass, and the rose window over the south chapel arch has c1869 coloured glass. Listing NGR: SK4915833736.' (7)