CHURCH OF ST. SEBASTIAN
GREAT GONERBY HIGH STREET (East side) 20.9.66
Parish Church. c1200, C13, C14, C15, some C19 restoration. Coursed rubble ironstone, limestone ashlar, grey tile and slate roofs. West tower and spire, nave with north and south aisles, south porch and rectangular chancel.
C15 West Tower
Composed of 5 stages with moulded plinth and clasping buttresses, embraced by north and south aisles. West doorway with moulded, pointed head, plain moulded jambs, hood mould and head label stops. Shields set in quatrefoils in sprandrels, restored in C19, with string course above. Large pointed west window breaks through second and third stages of 3 cusped lights, perpendicular tracery and hood mould. Fourth stage, west front has small light with trefoil head, north side has a clock, south side has small rectangular light with clock above. 4 bell openings each of 2 cusped lights surmounted by a trefoil headed light flanked by mullions, and hood mould. Above, a frieze of shields set in quatrefoils, with moulded eaves, projecting corner gargoyles, battlements and ornate corner pinnacles. Octagonal spire with 2 tiers of plain lucarnes in alternating directions.
Early C14 North Aisle.
West front with moulded plinth and string course, a 3 light pointed window with cusped intersecting tracery, hood mould with fillet and head label stops. C15 moulded eaves with small sculptures, ornate panelled battlements with quatrefoils and roundels, an ornate corner pinnacle with an empty niche below and an angel holding 2 balls.
North side of north aisle has slight plinth, a setback buttress of 3 stages and gable head, with a moulded string course that runs over the buttress and continues under a pointed window with 2 sharply pointed lights with quatrefoils above, hood mould with fillet and head label stops. String course terminates in a small sculpture by a small pointed doorway whose keeled mouldings and hood mould were restored in C19, with early C14 head label stops. C17 wooden door. To the east, an early C14 buttress of 3 stages, moulded string course and pointed window of 2 lights with Y tracery and filleted hood mould. C15 buttress of 2 stages beyond with a set off head. String course runs beneath a 3 light pointed window to the east, with intersecting tracery and hood mould. Early C14 buttress at end of north aisle, of 2 stages with gable head. C15 moulded eaves with small sculptures, ornate panelled battlements and 5 ornate pinnacles. Eaves and battlements continue above the plain east wall of the north aisle.
C15 clerestorey of 5 windows, each of 3 lights under flattened triangular heads with string courses joining their hood moulds. Moulded eaves with 2 large gargoyles and projecting corner gargoyle to the east, a frieze of shields and quatrefoils, plain battlements and ornate pinnacles.
Late C13 Chancel
Chancel with slight plinth with single round headed window with 2 pointed lights. Buttress of 3 stages with gable head to east and angle buttress beyond. Plain moulded eaves and battlements. Eastern front with plinth. End angle buttresses of 3 stages with gable heads. Large pointed window of 3 lights and intersecting tracery with hood mould and head label stops. Restored and raised gable with stone coping end finial. Slight plinth on south side of chancel. Angle buttress of 3 stages with gable head with 2 pointed windows to the west, each with 2 ogee cusped lights, reticulated tracery and hood mould, with another 3 stage buttress set between. Moulded eaves and plain battlements above.
Early C14 South Aisle
Plain east end with moulded plinth. C15 moulded eaves with small sculptures, ornate panelled battlements and corner pinnacles. South side of south aisle has moulded plinth and string course, C15 buttress of 3 stages with setoff head to east. Window of 3 lights with intersecting tracery and hood mould to west with another C15 buttress beyond. Window of 3 lights with intersecting tracery, filleted hood mould and single head label stop to west with another C15 buttress beyond. Then a smaller 3 light window with intersecting tracery, filleted hood mould and head label stops. C15 moulded eaves above with small sculptures ornate panelled battlements and 4 ornate pinnacles.
To the west of porch the moulded plinth and string course continues with a 3 light pointed window with cusped intersecting tracery, filleted hood mould and head label stops. Set back, 3 stage buttress with setoff head to west. West front of light window with cusped intersecting tracery, hood mould and label stop heads. Moulded eaves with ornate sculptures, ornate panelled battlements and pinnacle run round top of aisle to west of porch. C15 clerestorey of 5 windows, each of 3 lights under shallow triangular heads. Moulded eaves with a frieze of shields and quatrefoils and battlements with 4 ornate pinnacles above.
Early C14 South Porch
Slate roof. East side has small rectangular light, squat buttress of 2 stages with gable head and plain moulded eaves. Barely pointed south doorway ,with chamfered mouldings, plain jambs with simply moulded abaci and round headed hood mould. Coped gable with finial. West side of porch has small rectangular window, 2 stage squat buttress and plain moulded eaves. Interior of porch has 2 stone benches, early C13 south doorway with filleted roll mouldings, single columnar and rectangular jambs on each side with plain capitals and pronounced abaci, head label stops and C20 timber roof.