Relhan Collection : 225 Impington church. View from S

Relhan, Richard, 1782-1844

Relhan Collection

<p style='text-align: justify;'><p>St Andrew’s church in Relhan’s drawing has a blocked chancel window, indicating the poor condition of the church noted 1843. The chancel was rebuilt in the early C14, and the upper stages of the church tower later in C14, to be enhanced with pinnacles and a parapet during C15 restoration. The timber-framed porch has 3-light windows on each side with the finial missing to the gable. The drawing suggests that the exterior was rendered and lime washed. The whole church was wainscoted in 1779; Cole notes in 1779 that Mr Masters was putting a pediment up behind the altar and had removed two grave stones from the chancel. In 1843 the church was reported as being in a shameful condition and Bell says (1883) that the church ‘<i>was formerly in a ruinous condition’</i> before Ewan Christian in 1878-9 replaced the spirelet with a weather-vane, restored windows and tracery and rebuilt buttresses to the nave; the roof has been retiled with alternate bands of different tiles. The timber-framed porch has been carefully restored retaining original fabric. Re-pointed masonry is completely exposed. The work was directed by RR Rowe ‘in a fairly conservative spirit’. The churchyard wall has been rebuilt in brick.</p><p>Bell 2013; Bradley and Pevsner 2014; Davis EM pers comm; Palmer 1932; VCH 1989; Wright 1991</p></p>