History and Description of
COVINGTON PARISH CHURCH

4. The Nave.

The interior of the church, showing the Nave and Chancel. Note the 12th Century font on the left. Detail of inscription on the window in the blocked archway. The Official Memorial to those of Covington who fell in the Great War

The windows on the north side of the nave are both 14th century but the doorway is 12th century and sports a fine tympanum carved with a wingless griffin and a lion facing. The door itself is modern but the (restored) ironwork dates back to the 12th or 13th century. On this door is hung a list of the Rectors of Covington and their Sponsors since 1293, originally compiled by one of the last Rectors in the 1950s. Since the late 1970s Covington has not had its own priest but has shared a Rural Dean with five of the other Parishes of the Deanery of Leightonstone (see map). On the south wall there is an early 14th century arch which led to a side chapel which was demolished in the 15th century. A late 15th century window is set into the blocked archway. On this window is an interesting inscription (see right). The inscription says (possibly) RW, William Harding, 1759, March 19th, Tuesday (it wasn't, a Tuesday, Webmaster), Winnie married Thos. Hall, but then again, someone else in the village insists it records a big hailstorm and it's also reputed to record the funeral of Thomas Hall. Let this be a lesson to you - if you HAVE to vandalise something, make sure it's legible!!
The other window on this wall is early 16th century. The south doorway is the main entrance to the church and dates from early in the 13th century and has leaf carvings. The door itself is 16th century and shows some resoration, but remains mostly original. The porch is modern. There is a 14th century piscina set into the wall at the eastern end of the south wall. In the north-west corner of the nave is an octagonal font which is 12th century, its circular base is reputedly of Roman date (certainly, it doesn't match the font) although it may well be an inverted earlier font. The wooden cover is 20th Century. The square plinths are modern. Some of the pews, particularly on the north side of the nave, have 16th century rails and panelling. The extensive restoration is modern, but generally sympathetic.

The War Memorial (pictured) commemorates (external links) Major Carew Barnet, Second Lieutenant Norman Heaton, Private F Mehew and Private A. W. Smith - all residents of the village who died in the Great War. The hyperlinks lead to their records at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The links for Privates Mehew and Smith are not yet confirmed as accurate!

At the end of a pew in the Chancel is a private memorial to Major James Bonser Brown MC who was killed in Burma in 1945.

In Victorian times, the church was heated using a hot air system consisting of a stoke hole under the east wall of the vestry, a charcoal pit, under-floor ducting and a chimney built into the North-East corner of the Nave. The now filled in and concreted over pit, which used to have an iron grille, can be seen in the picture of the Nave as a light area down the middle of the aisle finishing about half-way towards the Chancel. The concrete has been patterned to resemble to limestone flagstones used for the rest of the aisle. The aisle is built on a base of Victorian bricks and it's edging and the centre of the aisle as it continues into the Chancel is laid with characteristicly Victorian patterned tiles. The pews sit upon a planked floor with bare soil about 18inches beneath.