Details
STOKEINTEIGNHEAD STOKEINTEIGNHEAD
SX 9070-9170
17/392 Church of St Andrew
23.8.55
GV II*
Parish church. Late C14/15, chancel 1867 (Pevsner), major restoration of 1894 by
Tait and Harvey. Rendered except for the red sandstone chancel, slate roofs.
Plan: Nave, chancel, west tower, north and south transepts, 4-bay north and south
aisles. South porch (no longer in use), north porch, north-east vestry.
Perpendicular, with a substantial late C19 restoration. Decorated chancel of 1867.
Exterior: Most of the windows are untraceried, presumably dating from the C18 or
early C19 when the mullions but not the medieval tracery were replaced. C19
Decorated style chancel with diagonal buttresses, 3-light C19 decorated east window
with carved label stops, two 2-light C19 Decorated windows on the south side, one on
the north side which also has a C19 lean-to vestry with a moulded doorway in the
east end and 3-light window to the north. North transept with a 3-light
Perpendicular east window and a 3-light C19 Decorated north window, the south
transept has an untraceried 3-light south window and similar east window, which
appears to be a late C19 copy of other windows in the church. The south aisle with a
diagonal south-west buttress, has a 3-light Perpendicular west window with some
mullion and jamb replacement; three 4-light untraceried south windows. The former
porch has a similar 3-light south window. The north aisle with a north west diagonal
buttress has a 4-light medieval Perpendicular window to the east of the porch with
decayed carved label stops, untraceried transomed window to the west of the porch
with carved medieval label stops, similar 4-light west window with C19 hoodmould and
label stops. Battlemented tower with diagonal buttresses and on unrendered
embattled polygonal north-east stair turret. Moulded west doorway with a hoodmould
and untraceried 4-light west window, large 2-light tracenied belfy openings on all 4
sides. North porch with inner moulded doorway with pyramid stops and a hoodmould;
C19 boarded wagon roof with carved bosses.
Interior: Unplastered walls except for the chancel; C19 timber chancel arch; double-
chamfered tower arch; 4-bay north and south arcades with low red sandstone piers with
corner shafts and carved capitals with broad foliage capital carving, the 3
westernmost capitals to the north arcade are different in design and possibly re-used
with angel carvings divided by niches. The junction between the roof of the aisles
and transepts is unusual (qv Combeinteignhead), the aisle wallplates oversail the
transepts and are supported on corbels with upward curving braces. The arrangement
here is probably late C19 but may be based on a medieval original. C19 boarded wagon
with moulded ribs and bosses to the nave, aisles and transepts; similar open wagon to
the chancel. Notable rood screen "one of the earliest surviving in Devon" (Pevsner)
and dated C14 by Bond and Camm. The screen has square-headed 3-light openings with a
band of heavily-cusped tracery above the centre, decorated with an ogee arch above
the 2-leaf door. The oversailing rood-loft is uncoved, the rood loft stair rises
from the north transept. Trefoil-headed piscina on south wall of chancel. The
chancel fittings are mostly 1890s: timber reredos; mosaic and marble flooring; brass
altar rail with ornamental copper spandrels, good choir stalls with carved ends and 2
canopied thrones with reading desks. Shallow arch into organ chamber, partly
concealed by organ. The nave has a 1914 timber drum pulpit with traceried panels and
co-eval octagonal font with carved traceried panels; 3-bay 1912 tower screen; timber
eagle lectern probably also early C20. Plain late C19/early C20 benches. The
remains of a holy water stoup on north wall, piscinas in east walls of both transeps.
Monuments: Re- set in the sanctuary floor a brass to a priest, died 1375 (Pevsner),
the earliest in Devon; several ledger stones used as paving. Unusual and very
lengthy early C19 inscription tablet in chancel to the Graham family, signed Faulkner
of Exeter "In memory of a family, nine of whom all suffered in their country's cause,
by being either killed, drowned, wounded or dying, in service, including the father,
2 uncles, 4 brothers and 2 nephews". Other early C19 white marble wall plaques in
the chancel. Black wall tablet in the south aisle to Jfet (letters unclear) Cock,
died 1746.
Stained Glass: 3 medieval fragments hanging in the south transept; single figures
and details from a Beer design in the north transept; east window of north transept
with memorial dates of 1871 and 1876 probably by Drake of Exeter; First World War
memorial in east window, probably by Blanchford; south window in chancel signed
Lavers Barraud and Westlake, dated 1874.
Bond, F. Bligh and Camm. Dom Bede, Roodscreens and Roodlofts (1909), volume II, page
349.
Pevsner, South Devon (1952).
Devon Nineteenth Century Churches Project.
Listing NGR: SX9156170442
