Listed Building record MDR5891 - St Helen's Church, Park Lane, Pinxton

St Helen's Church, Park Lane, Pinxton, originally a 13th century building. 'The Church at Pinxton, dedicated to St. Helen, consists of a chancel and nave with west porch, built about 1755. On the south side of the chancel is a fragment of the old church with the tower. A modern archway leads from the south side of the chancel into a small chapel which has a small lancet window and stone bracket of the Early English period of the 13th century. The tower is oblong and is of later date than the Early English as is shown by the Decorated tracery of the pointed east window. The upper part of the tower, although composed of old materials, has been rebuilt. There is no reason to doubt that there was an independent benefice at Pinxton as early as the thirteenth century…' (1) 'The remaining fragment of the former Pinxton Church which was mainly taken down about 1750 originally formed the south transept. The first alteration in this transept, seems to have been made about 1460, when a wall was built across the interior from east to west to form a sacristy in the southern section. About 1600, the walls of this section were raised to form a tower. The stone courses of the lower part of the tower are contiguous to the work to the north.' (2) 'The church is in use for public worship. A type-written notice in the porch gives the date of the first rector as 1299, describes the tower as late Norman, mentions the 1750 restoration and states that a north aisle was added in 1939.' (3) 'No change.' (4) 'The Church of St Helen is a Grade II listed building. It is a parish church, with a 13th century tower and chapel, a nave and chancel of 1750, and with a north aisle and vestry added in 1939.' (5) 'Of the medieval church only the unbuttressed 13th century west tower and the very beginning of the nave remain (on the north side one small lancet window). On the south side of the tower a two-light Decorated window has been incongruously inserted. (The top half of the tower was rebuilt in 1897). In 1750 a large church was built at right angles to the old one, with arched windows and a plain Venetian east window. To this in 1939 an aisle and a porch were added.' (6-7) There was a church here at least as early as the 13th century, but the only remaining parts are the lower unbuttressed half of the rectangular tower and the adjacent beginning of the nave. A Decorated two-light window (c1290-1350) has been inserted off-centre in the east wall of the tower. Other alterations are suggested by a record of about 1710 that the tower 'seems to have been builded at different times'. The original dedication was to St John the Evangelist, but after the mid-16th century it was known simply as Pinxton church. In either 1750 (Pevsner) or 1755 (Shooter) a new and larger nave was erected to the north-west, with the medieval tower forming the end of the south transept. The beginning of the old nave apparently became the chancel with a new three-light east window. There was a gallery at the west end and a west porch was added. The medieval masonry was probably re-used and the church was re-dedicated to St Helen. In 1897 the upper half of the tower was rebuilt and two buttresses added to the lower half. In 1939 there was drastic reconstruction. This included the rebuilding of the nave, something which had not been appreciated in earlier descriptions of the church. At the same time the church was enlarged by a north aisle and a projecting baptistry was built at the west end. Before constructing the north aisle it was necessary to level the area by removing up to 0.5m from the rising ground to the north. In 1970 a new vestry was built in the north-east angle of the church. (8-9) From the National Heritage List for England: 'SK 45 NE PARISH OF PINXTON PARK LANE 13/134 (South Side) Church of St Helen 8.7.66 II Parish church. C13 tower and chapel, 1750 nave and chancel, with north aisle and vestry added 1939. Coursed squared sandstone with ashlar dressings, red plain tile roof to chancel with stone coped gables on plain kneelers, lead roofs elsewhere. 3 bay nave with north aisle, 2 bay chancel with north vestry and south chapel/organ bay with two stage tower attached to south. Plinth. West elevation rebuilt 1939, two shallow gabled bays, that to south with advanced shallow gabled stone porch with clasping buttresses and segmental headed doorcase. Raised cross above in gable. Northern bay has advanced canted bay with adjoining pair of semi-circular headed windows to front and moulded stone copings to flush parapets. North aisle has three similar pairs of semi-circular headed windows below flush parapets with moulded copings and to east the vestry with two plain doorcases and a 2-light chamfered mullion window. To east end, vestry has two shallow 3-light chamfered mullion windows below and one large similar window above. C18 chancel has gabled east wall partly rebuilt in C20, with raised quoins and central semi-circular headed window with raised imposts and sill. South chancel wall has four-centred arched door with raised quoined jambs to east and projecting C13 bay to west which has C19 3-light chamfered mullion window facing east and tower beyond to south. Tower has stepped diagonal buttresses to first stage on southern corners, a C14 2-light Decorated tracer led pointed window with hoodmould to east and small slit window to south. Upper stage rebuilt 1897 with single light shallow pointed louvred bell openings to each side, and flush parapets with moulded copings. West elevation of organ bay has C13 chamfered lancet, and south elevation of nave has three semi-circular headed chamfered C18 windows. Interior has segmental headed doorcase into the nave, three bay north arcade of semi-circular headed arches on columns with stepped square capitals, and full width segmental arch from nave to chancel. Pointed arch from chancel into south chapel/organ bay and small moulded pointed doorcase from this into the tower, also small segment headed doorcase from chancel into north vestry. Southern bay, known as Brookhill aisle has large organ and three wall monuments, one c1780 to Robert and Sarah Lillyman, signed 'AB Fecit' with segmental pediment topped with coat of arms, cherubs to base and scrolled sides, the others c1870 of enamelled brass in moulded stone surround and c1890 in C18 style. Chancel has three large slate and white marble wall monuments to Coke family, two to south side with painted coats of arms to top, of c1759, 1801 and 1811. Various other early C20 plaques to rest of church. Font to west end of north aisle is octagonal with moulded stem and painted panels to each side of the bowl. Other fittings all C20. Some re-used C18 timbers to nave and chancel roofs. Mid C19 and early C20 stained glass to some windows. Listing NGR: SK4534655018.' (10)