Church of St Katherine (Church of England)
CHURCH OF ST KATHERINE (CHURCH OF ENGLAND), ARLESEY ROAD
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- I
- List Entry Number:
- 1295821
- Date first listed:
- 27-May-1968
- List Entry Name:
- Church of St Katherine (Church of England)
- Statutory Address:
- CHURCH OF ST KATHERINE (CHURCH OF ENGLAND), ARLESEY ROAD
Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2002-11-24
- Reference:
- IOE01/09702/05
- Rights:
- © Mr David Black. Source: Historic England Archive
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- I
- List Entry Number:
- 1295821
- Date first listed:
- 27-May-1968
- List Entry Name:
- Church of St Katherine (Church of England)
- Statutory Address 1:
- CHURCH OF ST KATHERINE (CHURCH OF ENGLAND), ARLESEY ROAD
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- CHURCH OF ST KATHERINE (CHURCH OF ENGLAND), ARLESEY ROAD
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Hertfordshire
- District:
- North Hertfordshire (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Ickleford
- National Grid Reference:
- TL 18240 31641
Details
ICKLEFORD ARLESEY ROAD TL 1831 (West side)
10/35 Church of St. Katherine 27.5.68 (C of E)
GV I
Parish church. Nave mid C12, chancel and W tower early C13, S porch and nave roof mid C15. Restored 1859 by Sir George Gilbert Scott for Mrs. Marion Dudley Ryder when the S aisle, S chapel (now organ chamber), and N vestry added. Masonry walls plastered externally, incised diaper design to S aisle and chapel, uncoursed knapped flint to S clearstorey, limestone dressings, copper roof to nave and chancel, lead roof to S aisle, S chapel and W tower pyramidal roof with vane. A small church with square-ended chancel, higher nave with aisle and clearstorey only on S, crenellated S porch, and short square W tower with massive buttresses, diagonal at W corners. The chancel has a C13 lancet window to N of altar, C15 cinquefoil piscina to S, 3-bays open timber roof, triplet of stepped lancets at E with jamb shafts inside and out and stained glass c.1860 perhaps by Clayton & Bell in medallion and mosaic design. Wooden altar rail on gilded iron standards, mural tablet on S to Susan Cockayne d.1790, high 2-lights cinquefoil N window above lean-to N vestry reached by round arched doorway with heavy roll moulding. In S wall a wide C19 Romanesque arch with interlinked chain motif to arch of 2 orders. Wide, pointed 2-centred chancel arch C13 (Pevsner) but same vigorous tooling as C19 work, with dog-tooth ornament to arch and jamb shafts. Tall nave has noticeable batter to N wall and 5-bays C15 open timber roof of low pitch with vigorously carved stone corbels, wall posts, heavy straight moulded braces to tie beams, king post on each with braces to ridge beam, and one purlin to each slope. C14 2-lights window with ogee tracery in head in N and S wall near W end, and C12 S door and (blocked) N doorway. S door has semi-circular moulded arch of 3 orders, 2 shafts on each side with leaf-carved caps and moulded abaci. The simpler N doorway has chevron moulding on its rear arch, simple chamfered imposts, chevron ornament to semi-circular, and chamfered external joints. The N wall is buttressed externally and has a bulge near the E end for the rood stair, next the C14 window with 3 cinquefoil lights and ogee tracery under a square head which lights the pulpit. Narrow pointed doorway with grille to rood stair by pulpit at NE corner of nave, and to E of doorway a C15 piscina. Large N wall monument to Richard Ansell d.1726 signed by R. Easton, a bellied cartouche with putti, drapes and armorial shield. Hatchments over N and S doors. Octagonal C19 arcaded stone pulpit. Octagonal stone font on 8 coloured marble shafts with C13 style caps and bases. Brass of Thomas Somer and Marjory his wife c.1380, half-length figures with imperfect inscription. Vigorously carved C19 Romanesque 3-bays S arcade with dog-tooth ornament and circular pillars, with C19 circular S clearstorey windows over with quatrefoil tracery. Low S aisle with open timber roof, 3 pairs of pointed S windows with shafted external jambs, and elaborate alabaster memorial to Dudley Ryder family filling W wall. Taller S porch with crenellated parapet and niche central over 2-centred continuously moulded entrance arch of 2 orders. 2 stage W tower has 2-centred arch from nave, a small C13 lancet window on the S, 2-lights C15 pointed W window with central mullion rising to head has stained glass of 1898 by Kempe. Small battened W door inserted below sill. C15 2-lights bell opening on each face with trefoil lights under square head with label. Rectangular sockets flank windows. (RCHM (1911)128-9: VCH (1912)23-4: Kelly (1914)167: Pevsner (1977)213-4).
Listing NGR: TL1824031641
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 163045
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Sources
Books and journals
Doubleday, A, The Victoria History of the County of Hertford, (1912), 23-4
Pevsner, N, Cherry, B, The Buildings of England: Hertfordshire, (1977), 213-4
Kelly's Directory in Kelly's Directory, (1914), 167
Other
Inventory of the Historical Monuments of Hertfordshire, (1910)
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 23-Jul-2026 at 02:00:03.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
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