Church of St Paul

Details

FILLEIGH FILLEIGH SS 62 NE 5/47 Church of St Paul - 20.2.67 GV II*

Parish church. 1732, built on a new site but incorporating some fabric from the old church which stood closer to Castle Hill House (q.v.). Remodelled 1876-7 by Clark of Newmarket. Roughly coursed stone rubble to west tower and nave, dressed to south aisle and chanel. Red clay tile roof with fishscale banding and coped gable ends. West tower, nave, short transepts, south aisle and apsidal chancel. Originally Classical in style, the Victorian remodelling converted the church into the Norman style. West tower of 2 stages, with spire added in late C19. Diagonal buttresses. Lombard frieze to parapets. Norman style round-arched bell openings to each face with engaged columns and scalloped capitals. West window of 3-lights, Perpendicular, incorporating some C15 stonework, as does the round-arched west doorway with scalloped capitals and jambs pieced-in. Nave, north transept and chancel windows are all round-arched single lights with Norman style mouldings applied to the original Georgian openings, the chancel windows with a continuous cable hoodmould. Gabled south porch with external stair turret to organ gallery on west side. Large wheel window with sexafoil tracery above doorway with fishscale patterning to the tympanum. South aisle has C19 Perpendicular style pointed arched windows, two 2-lights and doorway on south side, and large 4 light window to east end. North transept, with an arched gablet, terminates in the Fortescue vault with embattled parapet, 2 narrow round-arched openings with eared architraves at east end flanked by diagonal buttresses and plaque on north side 'to memory of Hugh 3rd Earl Fortescue and of 4 generations of his ancestors', flanked by Norman style round-arched windows. Interior semi-circular headed arches in Norman style to tower and transepts, and to 2 bay aisle arcade with scalloped capitals. Ceiled wagon roofs throughout with panels painted with foliated decoration, the chancel roof particularly elaborate and painted by Lady Susan Fortescue c. 1880. Apse of chancel panelled in leaf patterns of multicoloured stone, continued as mosaics behind the choir stalls, with inscription to George Damer, 7th son of Earl Fortescue, lost in HMS Wasp in the China seas 1887. C19 pulpit with 3 facets, with twin arches in larger arch supported on cable twist colonettes to each blind panel. Marble font dedicated to Georgina, Countess Fortescue as are the series of six chancel stained glass windows. Nave, north side has 2 windows dedicated to Alice Sophie Fortescue d. 1881 and Eleanor Hester Fortescue d. 1864. North transept has windows to Henry Fortescue d. 1875 and wife d. 1869 and to Francis Fortescue d. 1897 and Katherine his wife d. 1884. The large 4 light east window of the aisle (formerly the east window of the chancel) was moved here during the 1876-7 restoration and is filled with stained glass in memory of the first Earl Fortescue. Stained glass to 2 windows on south side to memory of Hon. George Matthew Fortescue d. 1877 and Rev. Canon John Fortescue d. 1869 and Hon. John William Fortescue d. 1859. Monuments: Nave, north side. Two small brass plates in square panels with kneeling figures to Richard Fortescue d. 1570. South aisle. Wall monuments to Hugh, first Earl Fortescue, d. 1841 and wife d. 1847 by Gould of Barnstaple, to Susan, wife of Hugh, Viscount Ebrington d. 1827 to Lucy Fortescue, widow of Hugh Fortescue d. 1767.

Listing NGR: SS6625628045

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

98965

Legacy System:

LBS

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