Church of St Mary the Virgin

Details

WHITELACKINGTON CP - ST3715 7/133 Church of St Mary the Virgin (formerly listed as Church of St. Mary) 4.2.58

GV II*

Anglican Parish Church. C14 and C15. Ham stone, some rubble but mostly ashlar work; Welsh slate roofs with stone ridges between coped gables, with lead sheet roof to south aisle. Six-unit plan of 2-bay chancel,4-bay nave, north and south aisles, with north porch and west tower. Chancel probably C15, with plinth, angled corner buttresses; 3-light pointed-arched east window with Perpendicular tracery set in shallow moulded recess; to north and south sides are two 2-light late C15 flat-arched windows with cinquefoil cusped lights, incised spandrils, no labels; with narrow pointed-arched doorway between north windows. North transept of early C14; angled corner buttresses; blocked pointed-arched doorway on east side; 3-light Geometric traceried window in north gable and thin lancet to west return. South transept also early C14; pairs corner buttresses; single lancet in east wall; fine Geometric-traceried 3-light south window; plain to west, but with corbel carving to kneeler stone. South aisle C15; plinth, string course with gargoyles, battlemented parapets; two 3-light C15 traceried windows in hollowed pointed-arched recesses, between them a blocked pointed-arched doorway; no window in west wall. North aisle is narrower, under a continuation of the main roof, probably of C15; plinth; two windows matching south aisle, the east 2-light and the west 3-light: between the north porch which has a moulded pointed outer arch, with inner arch to match, bench seats and a C19 roof. Tower in 4 stages, C15; double plinth, angled corner buttresses to full height, but with taller octagonal-plan stair turret to north-west corner; string courses, battlemented parapet: west face has a 4-centre-arched doorway in rectangular hollowed recess, with foliated spandrils, and square-stop label over; west window above of 4-light sub- arcuated C15 tracery, in hollow arched recess with square-stop label protruding into second stage; to south side stage 3 a 3-light window to match, and to stage 4 all faces are similar 3-light windows with ornamental pierced stone baffles. Interior not accessible, but reported are rere-arches to the transept windows, that to the north transept having side shafts to jambs; arcades of 4-column shafts with hollows, thin piers and wide arches, no clerestorey. Fittings include C14 piscina with shelf in north transept, and in the east wall there is a richly decorated statue niche; the remainder presumably C19, Monuments include two defaced effigies on floor of south transept, a civilian of c1350 and a knight in ardour of c1375; tomb of Sir George Speke, died 1583 but tomb made possibly as much as 25 years earlier, in flamboyant Perpendicular rather than Renaissance, tomb chest with shields, polygonal side shafts with twisted chimney-like finials, with similar finial to crown of 4-centred arch, which is panelled with pendants, pierced tracery side panels, and decorated shield to rear: also monument to John Hanning died 1807 by J.Richards of Exeter, with figure of kneeling woman by an urn. East window by Kempe, 1896. (Pevsner, N, Buildings of England, South and Test Somerset, 1958).

Listing NGR: ST3795615268

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

264025

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: South and West Somerset, (1958)

End of official list entry

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