Home
Listing
Search the List

Enrich the List

Apply for Listing

What is Listing?

Listing Guidance
Listing

Find out about listed buildings and other protected sites, and search the National Heritage List for England (NHLE).

Find out about listing

The Old Blacksmith’s Shop The Old Blacksmith's Shop, Wiltshire © Historic England DP276780
Advice
Advice Finder

Heritage at Risk

Your Home

Technical Guidance

Planning

Caring for Heritage

Constructive Conservation

Heritage Protection Guide

Coronavirus Support & Advice
Advice

See our extensive range of expert advice to help you care for and protect historic places.

Get our advice

Tubwell Row Darlington, since 2001 improvements to Darlington Town Centre have sought to celebrate its architecture and create a pedestrian heart with an inclusive shopping and civic area © Historic England
Research
Our Research Strategy and Agenda

Research Governance

Research Methods

Current Research

Research Results

Support & Collaboration

Inclusive Heritage

Latest Research

Heritage Counts
Research

Discover and use our high-quality applied research to support the protection and management of the historic environment.

Discover our research

Interaction with heritage can support individual and community wellbeing. Discover our research into wellbeing
Images & Books
Find Photos

Search All Publications

Buy Books

The Historic England Archive
Images & Books

Historic England holds an extensive range of publications and historic collections in its public archive covering the historic environment.

Browse our collections

A portrait of John Laing outside Bournemouth train station, during a staff outing of Laing's London office. Photographed 30 May 1953 © Historic England Archive. John Laing Photographic Collection. JLP01/08/008844
Services & Skills
Education

Grants

Our Planning Services

Training & Skills

Archive Services

Heritage Action Zones
Services & Skills

Find out about services offered by Historic England for funding, planning, education and research, as well as training and skill development.

Learn about our services

Schoolchildren looking at a map created for Sunderland's Heritage Action Zone. Find out more about Heritage Action Zones
Get Involved
High Street Culture

Everyday Heritage

Support Us

Volunteer in Heritage

Protect Your Heritage

Visit Your Heritage

Help Write History
Get Involved

Explore the many ways you can help to support the incredibly rich and varied heritage.

Get involved in heritage

Brixton Windmill - Friends of Brixton Windmill. Shortlisted for ‘Best Rescue of an Industrial Building or Site’ Angel Award in 2012 © Historic England
What's New
News

In Your Area

Historic England Blog

Latest Research

Heritage Online Debate

Statements

Stay up to Date

The Queen's Platinum Jubilee
What's New

Read about our current news, projects and campaigns nationally and in your area.

Catch up with what's new

Sandra Kazlauskaite interviewing a Youth Club group at Grantham Community Centre. © Emm Nunn
Sign in
Manage my account

Sign out

CHURCH OF ST MARY THE VIRGIN

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: I
List Entry Number:: 1106465
Date first listed:: 05-Apr-1966
Statutory Address:: CHURCH OF ST MARY THE VIRGIN

User submitted image — Your photos and comments are welcome This photo may not represent the current condition of the site
View all

Location

Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.

What is the National Heritage List for England?

The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.

The list includes:

Find out more about listing

Images of England Project

To view this image please use Firefox, Chrome, Safari, or Edge.

Archive image, may not represent current condition of site.

Date:: 09 May 2003
Reference:: IOE01/09779/17
Rights:: © Mr Peter McLaren. Source: Historic England Archive

Historic England Archive

Search over 1 million photographs and drawings from the 1850s to the present day using our images archive.

Find Photos

Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: I
List Entry Number:: 1106465
Date first listed:: 05-Apr-1966
Statutory Address 1:: CHURCH OF ST MARY THE VIRGIN

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:: CHURCH OF ST MARY THE VIRGIN

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County:: Devon
District:: Mid Devon (District Authority)
Parish:: Burlescombe
National Grid Reference:: ST 07602 16634

Details

BURLESCOMBE BURLESCOMBE ST 01 NE 5/20 Church of St Mary the Virgin - 5.4.66 GV I

Parish church. Whole is C15 but not all the same phase, some C16 modernisation, tower and porch refurbished in 1677. Local stone rubble with quoins of larger dressed blocks but there is also some red sandstone and purple volcanic ashlar included, particularly in the north aisle; Hamstone and Beerstone ashlar detail; concrete tile roof, formerly slate. Plan: nave and chancel under a continuous roof, north and south aisles, west tower and north porch. The original nave and chancel probably occupied tne present nave and both aisles were built full length. The north aisle still contains the remains of the Ayshford Chapel. Present chancel was built in the late C15. Exterior: west tower of 2 stages with angle and diagonal buttresses and embattled parapet. Semi-octagonal stair turret in north-west corner surmounted by wrought iron weather vane. 2-light Hamstone belfry windows have stone grilles. Good Hamstone west doorway; round-headed with moulded surround, capitals and keystone and containing the original studded oak door with ovolo-moulded coverstrips. Hamstone plaque directly above has an egg and date frame. The inscription has mostly weathered away but it contains two legible dates. The earliest 1638 accords with the known date that the bells were rehung and therefore the date of 1677 is thought to be that of the doorway. Above the plaque is a Hamstone 3-light window with Perpendicular tracery and a hoodmould with label stops carved as human heads. The south aisle overlaps the tower and at this point there is a large blocked Beerstone 2-centred arch of unknown function. Above the tiny Beerstone window is a C20 replacement. Both aisles contain Beerstone 3-light windows with Perpendicular tracery. The chancel contains Hamstone windows also with Perpendicular tracery, one on the south side is square-headed and there is also a narrow blocked priests doorway there. South aisle rood stair turret converted to a chimneystack in C19. Near the right (west) end of the north aisle is a gabled porch. The round-headed Hamstone outer arch is a simpler version of that in the tower and is probably contemporary (1677). Above, a probably C15 Beerstone niche with crocketted canopy and above that a Beerstone panel carved with sunken quartrefoils containing heraldic arms. The north doorway is a Tudor arch with moulded surround and contains C19 doors. Interior: nave and chancel have a continuous ceiled wagon-like roof, apparently C 19 with applied strips as purlins and ribs and plain block bosses. The wall plate in the chancel however is the original; carved as foliage and interrupted by a series of angels holding shields. Both aisles have C15 ceiled wagon roofs with moulded purlins and ribs and carved oak bosses; some of them have been replaced, particularly in the north aisle. The south aisle roof has a moulded wall plate but the north aisle wall plate is carved and interrupted by carved angels holding shields. Tall plain tower arch. No chancel arch. Both sides of the nave are 3-bay Beerstone arcades with moulded columns (Pevsner's type B) but the capitals and bases are different. In the C19 the rood stair was converted to a chimneystack but in the C20 the rood stair was restored to its original form with plain Beerstone doorways; it is in the south aisle. In a corresponding position in the north aisle there is a round-backed alcove. The walls are plastered. The floor is stone-flagged and includes some graveslabs in the Ayshford Chapel (north aisle). The sanctuary floor is made up of patterns of C19 encaustic tiles. The plain Beerstone piscina in the sanctuary is probably original. Sandstone reredos carved in Gothic style was erected in memory of Isabella Macritchie (died 1891). Ornately-carved C18 altar table with claw feet. C19 oak altar rail with wrought iron standards. C19 stalls in Gothic style. A part of the original oak rood screen has been set across the front of the present chancel. It is 5 bays with panelled wainscotting with square-headed windows containing slender Perpendicular tracery; it has a replacement cornice. In front of it is a rare example of a front stall, possibly contemporary with the screen; it is in the same style. The Gothic style sandstone pulpit was erected to commemorate the 1887 Jubilee. Oak C19 eagle lectern. C19 oak benches, their ends carved with blind Gothic tracery. Good C15 Hamstone font; octagonal bowl carved with sunken quatrefoils, panelled stem with corner pilasters and 2-step plinth. The Ayshford chapel altar is a good C17 table with carved bulbous legs and inlaid marquetry frieze. Monuments: in the sanctuary an undated chest tomb in memory of William Ashford (died 1508). Black marble lid and the Beerstone sides are carved as a blind crocketted arcade containing a series of angels with shields. The paint is C19 or C20. Two good C17 mural monuments in the Ayshford Chapel. Both are built of different marbles and painted. They feature carved figures kneeling each side of a prayer desk and set in ornate architectural frames surmounted by the Ayshford arms. One is in memory of Regery Ayshford (died 1610), the other in memory of Elizabeth Ayshford (died 1635). The chancel contains a C19 painted board featuring the Lords Prayer and the tower arch is flanked by C19 Commandment boards. There are also 2 bolection-framed panels which have been painted over. Most of the stained glass is C19 but some earlier glass is preserved in the tracery. Source: Church guide.

Listing NGR: ST0759916632

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:: 95871
Legacy System:: LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Guide to Church of St Mary the Virgin Burlescombe

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.