32. CALDECOTE.
(O.S. 6 in. iii. S.E.)
Ecclesiastical
(1). Parish Church of St. Mary Magdalene,
stands about three miles N. of Baldock in the
midst of barns, cottages, etc., which belong to
a farm, and are the only other buildings in the
parish. The walls, of flint rubble, with stone
dressings, are cemented; the roof is low-pitched.
The Chancel and Nave, the Tower, erected over
the W. bay of the nave, and the South Porch
were all built about the middle of the 15th
century; later work consists only of repairs.
Architectural Description—The Chancel
(18 ft. by 14 ft.) has a traceried and transomed
E. window of three lights: in the N. wall
is a window of two lights under a square
head, and in the S. wall, in addition to a
similar window, there is a single light, of
which the sill is carried down low. There is
no structural division between the chancel and
nave. The Nave (33 ft. by 14 ft., including the W.
bay) has a N. and a S. window which resemble
the E. window of the chancel, but the N.
window has lost the original tracery; the W.
window, of two lights, has a quatrefoil in the
head. The N. and S. doorways are original,
but the former is much restored. The W. bay
(7 ft. from E. to W.) is divided from the rest of
the nave by a wall which carries the E. wall of
the tower, and is pierced by a two-centred
moulded arch with shafted jambs; from this
dividing wall to the W. wall, within the N. and
S. lines of the nave, spring arches of two chamfered orders, which support the N. and S. walls
of the tower, the W. wall being carried by the
W. wall of the nave. The Tower rises one stage
above the nave, and is finished with a plain
parapet; the belfry windows resemble the W.
window of the nave. The South Porch (9½ ft.
by 7 ft.) has a moulded shafted entrance archway, and two single-light windows on the E.
and W.
Fittings—Bells: one, by Robert Oldfeild,
1630. Font: octagonal, 15th-century, ornamented with traceried panels and shields bearing the heraldry of the Passion. Glass: in E.
window, a panel, with white and gold ornament,
15th-century: in S. window of nave, part of a
kneeling figure in a blue gown. Plate: includes
cup of 1569 and paten of 1696. Seating: in the
nave, some plain open seats, 15th-century.
Stoup: in the porch, of rough design, under a
richly crocketed, spire-shaped canopy, much
defaced, not in situ.
Condition—Fairly good; much of the old
detail, especially the window tracery, has been
restored with cement.
Secular
Homestead Moat
(2). At Caldecote Farm, fragment.
(3). The Old Rectory, about 50 yards
N.W. of the church, is a two-storeyed cottage of
plastered timber, built late in the 16th century;
the roof is tiled. The plan is L-shaped, and
both wings have gabled ends. The exterior
has been partly re-plastered and the interior
much altered; the heavy moulded beams which
carry the floor over the parlour are the only
original details.
Condition—Fairly good.