St Andrew's Church, Chesterton

This Grade-1 listed church is in the village of Chesterton, a suburb of Cambridge on the north bank of the Cam. The church is close to the town centre, yet due to its isolation from all other architectural highlights of the town, I had not run across it before.

The church has an interesting history that extends to the Norman times [1]. Information on the early churches on this site are scarce, however, the history of the church since the 13th century is well-documented. Some building work was carried out in the 13th century but the majority of the church that stands today was constructed in the 14th and 15th centuries in Gothic Decorated and Perpendicular styles with coarse stone and rubble. The nearby Chesterton Tower, which survives to date, was also constructed during this period to accommodate the priest. Some restoration and extensions of the church were done in 19th and 20th centuries.

I have highlighted below, with pictures, some intriguing architectural and engineering features from St Andrew’s:

The western tower and spire: 

A tall spire tops the 14th century tower of the church. The tower has a tapering structure, highlighted by the four levels of projected and downward sloping string courses. These string courses may have had practical uses; they might have been used for intermittent support of the scaffold tower during construction as well as playing a role in the drainage system of the tower. Up to 2/3rd of its height, the tower is supported by four offset angle buttresses, which are constructed in three steps. The placement of eastern buttresses is curious and highlights the later construction of the embattled aisles and porch. Two-light bell-openings are visible beneath the embattlements on the tower.

For me, the biggest curiosity here is the octagonal stone spire. The spire is almost as tall as the tower, however, its base covers only half to two-thirds of the tower footprint. This particular type of spire is called a needle spire, and according to [2] it is useful as it provides a pathway on top of the tower where scaffolding could be erected for repairs. The handlebars on top of the battlements suggest that this may have been the case during the restoration of the tower in 1968. Due to the needle spire arrangement, structural elements which transmit the load from the spire to the tower are necessary. [3] suggests this could be achieved with squinch arches. Indeed, squinch arches which spring from the level of the bell-opening arch may provide a circular footprint ( with the help of ring beams?) in which the octagonal spire could be seated.

The Doom: The oldest element in the church is the 13th century chancel arch, above which traces of a magnificent medieval painting remains. This is one of the few examples in the country as many similar paintings were destroyed during the Reformation. Over the exposed dome painting, there remains what I suspect are traces of later (and more austere) decorations. Traditionally, the Doom (or Last Judgement) paintings were strategically placed on eye-catching locations within the church to inspire (or intimidate) the congregation. The current painting is from the 15th century and extends into the clerestory. On its West and East sides it contrasts Heaven and Hell. On the western side elegant angels and straight and pale figures inhabit the New Jerusalem with its domes and towers. Underneath, a Tudor rose stands, stating the King as the head of the Church. On the eastern side, distorted demons are dragging common people, priests and kings out of their graves with much enjoyment. Nobody is spared. The thistle below is a liturgical symbol of sin and alludes to the crowning of Christ with thorns.

The arm rests: Beautiful carving of armrests of the pews with poppyheads, mythical beasts and mischievous standing figures is a secret pleasure of this church. The carving is playful and creative, the mythical beasts show a great variety (alongside raging wyverns lie obedient talbots) and look whichever way they please. According to [4], the standing figures provide useful evidence for dating the pews within ten years. It appears that fashion was changing quickly, even in the 1430s.

References
[1] https://www.standrews-chesterton.org/
See the official church website for well-curated information on the history of the church. Check the wonderful section ‘History of St. Andrews in 100 objects’.
[2] https://architecturaltravels.wordpress.com/2012/07/09/spire/
[3] Heyman, Jacques. The stone skeleton: structural engineering of masonry architecture. Cambridge University Press, 1997.
[4] Bradley, Simon, and Nikolaus Pevsner. Cambridgeshire. The Buildings of England. Yale University Press, 2014