Details
SX 87 SW OGWELL EAST OGWELL VILLAGE
2/7 Church of St Bartholomew
23.8.55
GV I
Parish church. C13 greatly enlarged and altered C15 and early C16. 'Golgotha'
chapel added for Sir Richard Reynell in 1633. Restored 1884-5 by R M Fulford of
Exeter (Exeter Flying Post, 29.4.1885). Stone, with slate roofs. Nave, chancel,
north aisle running full length of nave and chancel, south transept with Golgotha
chapel abutting it on east, west tower, south porch. C20 boiler house on north
side. Nave has a Perpendicular window either side of porch, each of 2 lights with
ogee cinquefoil heads (heavily restored). Transept has similar window in west,
south and east walls (the east window concealed by Golgotha), except that lights in
west window have 2-centred heads. Golgotha south window probably late C19 'Tudor',
with reset C17 coloured glass, but above it a small rectangular plaque containing a
mutilated urn. In east wall an ornate late C19 doorway with trefoiled head. East
window of chancel late C19 Perpendicular. North aisle has 4 windows in north wall,
and one in each end wall. All windows straight-headed and of 3 almost segmental-
headed lights with carved spandrels; hood-moulds with square carved terminals.
Buttresses (restored) at each corner and between windows, except where there is a
canted stair turret formerly serving the rood loft. To right of turret a blocked
doorway, mostly concealed by boiler house, having mutilated arch with rosette in
spandrel. Corbel-table under eaves of roof. 2-stage plain tower, narrowing
slightly in upper stage. String course above each stage and battlements at top.
5-sided stair turret against south face with 6 tiny windows, 2 with trefoiled
heads, 3 shaped as quatrefoils and 1 as a cross. West face has perpendicular
window with 3 cinquefoil-headed lights in lower stage. Above it, and in a matching
position on the east face, a similar single-light window breaking the line of
string course. Similar window in each face of belfry, 2 lights to east and west, 1
light to north and south. Gabled porch mainly late C19 but with fragments of
older wagon-roof. In west wall a small rectangular chamfered fireplace with short
flue to outer face of wall. Inner doorway two-centred with double-ogee moulding.
Interior: arcade of 4 almost rounded arches dividing nave and chancel from north
aisle. Unusual piers, cross-shaped in section, with small attached columns in the
inner angles of the cross and larger columns attached to the end of each arm;
moulded bases, capitals of several different designs, including the arms of Holbeam
and Reynell families, mythical beasts, floral and other motifs. Chancel has Early
English slit window in south wall and piscina with plain 4-centred arch. Transept
entered through large segmental arch on chamfered imposts; in south wall a piscina
with 2-centred arch and wave-moulding. Golgotha chapel entered through large late
C19 2-centred arch; in gable of south wall a tablet inscribed RR 1633. North aisle
has in north wall upper and lower doorways to former rood loft stair, upper doorway
chamfered with 4-centred head, lower doorway moulded with almost rounded head. To
left of it a blocked doorway with segmental, hollow-moulded head. Piscina in east
wall with 2-centred cinquefoil head. Roofs late C19 except for north aisle, which
has C16 wagon roof with moulded ribs and carved bosses. Tower arch plain and
pointed; 4-centred .irch to stair doorway, chamfered with pyramid-stops. Fittings:
traceried wood rood-screens (repositioned) with trace:-; of colour survives across
nave; centre doorw;iy with a pair of windows, each of 3 ogee-headed cinquefoil
lights, at each side with plain panels below. Enriched head-beam. Re-set early or
mi.d C17 wood screen under tower arch, possibly made up from unrelated fragments;
panelled with balustrade above, pair of caryatids flanking doorway. Octagonal
granite font, bowl standing on column with moulded base. In transept, 6 bench-ends
(re-set) carved with trefoil-headed panels. Monuments: in south wall of transept
monument with ,initials RR and (cont'd)
AR (probably Richard Reynell, d.1585, and wife Agnes) and the Reynell arms. Tomb-
chest has arcaded panels separated by fluted pilasters without capitals; above, a
4-centred arch flanked by caryatids, this surmounted by bracketed cornice and a
variety of triangular pediment. In east wall of Golgotha chapel a large, red
marble slab commemorating Sir Richard Reynell (d.1648). At east end of north aisle
2 floor slabs said to be tombstones of 2 abbots of Torre Abbey; a third at east end
of chancel. Built into the external north-east and north-west angles of the north
aisle, 2 halves of an early C6 tombstone inscribed CAOCI FILI/POPLICI (C.A.R.
Redford in Proceedings of Devon Archaeological Society, 1969, pp 79-81).
Sources: 1887 plan of church by R M Fulford in Golgotha chapel.
Listing NGR: SX8380970053
