Church of St Swithun

Details

LITTLEHAM SS42SW 6/125 Church of St. Swithun 20.2.58 GV. I Church. Mid C13 nave and chancel; late C13 north transept; early C15 south aisle and west tower; restored in 1892 for Rev. H.G. Morse, rector from 1878, by Temple Moore. C13 masonry of coursed slatestone rubble; C15 masonry is of squared and coursed slatestone rubble with chamfered plinth. Gabled late C19 slate and plain tile roofs. Plan of nave and chancel, with north transept, south aisle and west tower. Chancel has hood mould with head stops over Perpendicular 3-light east window with trefoiled heads, and 2 quatrefoil lights above; C13 lancet window to north; hood mould over late C19 four-light Perpendicular-style window. 3-bay south wall of aisle has, from east, a chamfered round-arched doorway, and label moulds over C15 five, 4 and 3-light windows with cinquefoiled heads and mullions restored in late C19; west gable of south aisle has hood mould over C15 Perpendicular 2-light window with quatrefoil in head and cinquefoiled lights. Late C19 south porch. Three-stage C15 west tower has offset diagonal corner buttresses (which rise to second stage) and string courses: hood mould over 3-light cinquefoil-headed window with panel tracery above hood mould over moulded pointed-arched doorway; north-east stair-turret with slit lights; label moulds over 2-light cinquefoil-headed windows with louvres to belfry; crenellated parapet. Interior:rendered walls. C13 trefoiled piscina. C15 waggon roofs to south aisle, nave and chancel, with moulded ribs and brattished cornices; panels of ceiling were painted with stencilled decoration in late C19; foliate-carved ribs to east end of south aisle roof; C15 five-bay arcade has moulded depressed arches set on the usual quatrefoil piers; the capitals have foliate, vine and brattished carving. North transept has round-arched doorway to stone newel-type rood stairs. West tower has C15 studded and ribbed door. Fittings: communion rails and choir stalls installed 1924. Late C16 bench ends in nave, carved with Renaissance dolphins and arabesques; some moulded top rails of benches are C16 but most are C19. C15 square font with quatrefoil panels and C18 lid. C13 parish chest, made from hollowed-out log, with solid slab lid, strengthened by iron bands and hinges with 3 hinges for locks. Late C19 fittings are of fine quality: altar, communion rail, choir stalls with linenfold panelling and carved bench ends, lectern with crocketed pinnacles and panelled pulpit. Marble floor. Finely-carved and painted rood screen by Temple Moore, after the screen at Patricio in Monmouthshire. Fine C17 Dutch chandeliers also installed during Rev. H.G. Temple Moore's restoration. C15-16 floor tiles. Wall paintings: rendered walls Morse' s restoration uncovered several medieval paintings which were painted over for lack of resources to restore them. Round-arched recess in north transept has early C14 coloured figure of St Swithun, with his dexter hand raised in blessing: figure is flanked by vine trails and intrados of arch is patterned with coloured decoration. Monuments: fine late medieval style marble chest tomb to Lt.-Gen. H.H. Crealock, d. 1891, by Temple Moore. Crealock is shown as reclining figure with his hand on a sword, feet resting on lion and angels flanking pillow beneath his head. Sides of chest have figures of saints and angels under crocketed canopies. Two mid C18 tablets, to Grace Guard and Anthony Welsh, d. 1744, set in architectural frames in west tower. Stained glass: fine glass by Kempe, 1894, to east window and to south windows of saints to aisle. South chancel window is dated 1892. (Buildings of England: North Devon, p. 114 ; National Monuments Record; plans dated 1892 by Temple Moore, showing south porch, north transept, reflooring and reseating in Devon County Record office, Exeter, under Faculty Petitions, No's 3 and 8 for Littleham Parish; the Rev. H.G. Morse's diary, which records the restoration of the church, is kept by the churchwarden).

Listing NGR: SS4435323499

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

91443

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Devon North, (1952), 114

End of official list entry

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