SK6917 : Church of St Thomas of Canterbury, Frisby on the Wreake
taken 9 years ago, near to Frisby on The Wreake, Leicestershire, England
The church dates back to the 12th century but the only fabric of that period appears to be in the lower stages of the tower. The current aspect of the church is that of the 14th century rebuilding, with some later 15th century additions. The chancel was substantially rebuilt in 1848.
The church consists of West tower, nave and chancel with aisle which flank the tower. The north aisle extends beyond the nave including a 15th century chapel. The south aisle is relatively short merging with a spacious south transept, itself with a western aisle. There is no porch.
The external aspect is dominated by the local orange ironstone which forms the body of the church apart from the tower which is built in limestone ashlar. Much of the fenestration is 14th century, including the very fine south window of the transept in flamboyant Decorated style.
Inside the church is dominated by the fine 14th century arcades and chancel arch. There are a number of interesting mould stop carvings associated with these. Much of the roof timbering is original 15th century working including naturalistic and grotesque carvings.
No medieval fitments remain, but there is an interesting inscribed lead panel dated 1733 from the re-leading of the roof, rescued when the roof was repaired later.
The church is Listed Grade I.
Listed buildings and structures are officially designated as being of special architectural, historical or cultural significance. There are over half a million listed structures in the United Kingdom, covered by around 375,000 listings.
Listed status is more commonly associated with buildings or groups of buildings, however it can cover many other structures, including bridges, headstones, steps, ponds, monuments, walls, phone boxes, wrecks, parks, and heritage sites, and in more recent times a road crossing (Abbey Road) and graffiti art (Banksy 'Spy-booth') have been included.
In England and Wales there are three main listing designations;
Grade I (2.5%) - exceptional interest, sometimes considered to be internationally important.
Grade II* (5.5%) - particularly important buildings of more than special interest.
Grade II (92%) - nationally important and of special interest.
There are also locally listed structures (at the discretion of local authorities) using A, B and C designations.
In Scotland three classifications are also used but the criteria are different. There are around 47,500 Listed buildings.
Category A (8%)- generally equivalent to Grade I and II* in England and Wales
Category B (51%)- this appears generally to cover the ground of Grade II, recognising national importance.
Category C (41%)- buildings of local importance, probably with some overlap with English Grade II.
In Northern Ireland the criteria are similar to Scotland, but the classifications are:
Grade A (2.3%)
Grade B+ (4.7%)
Grade B (93%)
Read more at Wikipedia Link