Listed Building record MDR6154 - St James's Church, Church Street, Barlborough

St James's Church, Church Street, Barlborough, originally a 12th century building. The Church of St James, Barlborough, consists of a nave, chancel, north aisle and embattled tower. Evidence of a late Norman church is to be seen in the pillars separating the nave from the aisle. These are probably of the time of Henry II or Richard I. This church must have been altered or rebuilt a little more than a century later, the archway leading from the nave to the chancel being Early English. Parts of the tower were probably erected at this period, a small pointed light on the south side, and two armorial stones on west front being late 13th century. The main characteristics of the tower are much later, the summit being debased Perpendicular or possibly still later. At Domesday, the manor of Barlborough was held conjointly with Whitwell. The Survey mentions a church and a priest and although it is impossible to say with certainty where this was, the claims of Barlborough as the older church are superior. "Barlborough was evidently the more important place when the Survey was taken, for not only is it mentioned first, but the name in the original document is traversed by a red line, which was used by the Norman scribes to particularise places of more especial note." Although there is no early work in the present church to prove this, a stone coffin of a date no later than the 11th century was found in around the 1720s at the foot of the tower on the south side. (1) Church of St James, Barlborough. The north arcade must be circa 1200 or a little earlier. The south arcade is of 1899. In normal use (1965). (2) The church at Barlborough belongs more to the village than to the Hall. Its earliest feature is the north arcade of four bays. The date must be circa 1200 or a little earlier, i.e. the arches are still round but with two slight chamfers. The chancel arch and the west tower follow. The latter, unbuttressed, has lancet windows and a treble-chamfered arch towards the nave. The battlements and eight pinnacles are Perpendicular, as are the chancel windows, especially the remarkably straight east window. The south arcade, north aisle and clerestory are of 1894-9. (3-4) The bells of St James' are of historical significance. At least three of the six bells are circa 1580 or older, two of them made by the Seliok family foundry of Nottingham and another by Godfrey Heathcote, however a bell dating from 1725 was founded by the Im Halton foundry in South Wingfield. The Im Halton foundry is a rarely recorded founder where few examples survive. (5) From the National Heritage List for England: 'SK 47 NE PARISH OF BARLBOROUGH CHURCH STREET 1/27 (East Side) 26.8.65 Church of St James GV II* Parish church. C12, C14, and 1894-9. Coursed squared sandstone with sandstone dressings. Welsh slate roofs, coped gables with plain kneelers and cross finials. West tower with north vestry and south porch, aisled nave, and chancel with north vestry and chapel. Moulded plinth to the tower, chamfered plinth to the nave and chancel. Tower of three stages divided by string courses. To the west is a large double chamfered lancet. To the south is a deep gabled porch with moulded doorway of two orders, the inner order dying into the imposts. Trefoiled niche above with statue. Three-light flat-arched window to west side of porch, with ogee lights. The north side of the tower has a gabled vestry with chamfered pointed doorway to west and to the north a flat-arched window of four cusped ogee lights. The middle stage of the tower has a circular pierced clockface to west and south. Bell-stage has tall 2- light bell-openings almost round-arched, with Perp tracery and a transom. Battlemented parapet with crocketted pinnacles. Lean-to north aisle has three 2- light C19 windows with cusped ogee lights. Four 3-light clerestory windows of cusped ogee lights under flat arches. Taller north chapel has a 3-light Perp window with triangular head and hoodmould. The C19 vestry beyond has a plain lancet, and to the east a flat-arched window of four cusped ogee lights. The chancel has diagonal buttresses and a large 5-light Perp window under a four-centred arch. The chancel to the south has two 3-light Perp windows under triangular heads, and a buttress adjacent to a moulded doorway with triangular head and returned hoodmould. Perp style panelled door. Two re-set gargoyles. Lean-to south aisle has a C19 3-light east window with cusped intersecting tracery. To the south are four 2-light C19 windows with ogee lights. Four clerestory windows as on the north side. Interior: Four bay north arcade of c1200, with round arches, stepped and with a slight chamfer. Octagonal pier and keeled quatrefoil pier, semi-circular respond to east, keeled respond to west. Leaf capitals. C19 south arcade with octagonal piers, moulded capitals and slightly chamfered stepped arches. Triple chamfered tower arch, the inner order with moulded capitals. Double chamfered chancel arch, the inner order on C19 corbels. Plain plastered arches from the chancel to the north chapel and organ chamber, and from the north aisle to the chapel. C19 ogee-arched piscina in the chancel. C19 memorial brass on the north side of the chancel. On the south side of the chancel is an aedicule wall monument with a skull below, to a rector who died in 1702. Italian C14 painting of The Crucifixion. C19 octagonal font on a clustered base with marble colonettes. Between the north chapel and the organ chamber are three 2-light Perp windows, the left hand one genuine C14. At the east end of the north aisle is an alabaster slab with an effigy of a lady in sunk relief, said to be Lady Furnival who died in 1395. C19 Perp style choir stalls with poppyheads. Several windows have C19 stained glass. The chancel has a C19 hammerbeam roof. Above the chancel arch is a large painting of the Last Supper. Two lozenge-shaped hatchments (nave west). Listing NGR: SK4769677188.' (6)