Details
LODDISWELL VILLAGE CENTRE
SX 74 NW
5/108 Church of St Michael and
26.1.67 All Angels
II*
Anglican parish church. C13, C14, C15. Slatestone with granite dressings,
slate roofs. West tower, nave, north transept, south aisle incorporating porch,
chancel with south aisle chapel. Square 2-stage tower, lower level to diagonal
buttresses, then above string plain square stage carrying battlements set
forward on corbel table; north face has heavy square stair turret to pent roof
to two thirds height only. West front has C19 plank door in pointed arch under
a strange 3-light window with a supertransom carrying 3 stepped lights, all
with arch and drip mould under voussoirs; louvred opening to shouldered lintol
each face of bell stage. To right of tower is plain wall to coped gable. South
front has a 2-light Y-tracery window in wood to priest's chamber above doorway
in basket-handle arch under square stepped drip course; plinths to jambs with
worn sunk panels. Floor to porch in slate, granite surround to door to aisle,
'open' barrel roof. Remains of stocks. South aisle has four 3-light late C14
windows to slightly pointed head under drip mould; outer lights have segmental
heads, mullions pass through full height, no cusping, all set back in jambs.
Three buttresses to double offset, and on continuous seat-like plinth, diagonal
buttress to east. Chancel chapel has a 4-light with good perpendicular tracery,
priest's door has head as flat 4-centre arch from a single stone, and a small
2-light perpendicular window. No buttress to corner. East end has 3 coped
gables with crosses, small 3-light Perpendicular to chapel, large 5-light C19 to
chancel, narrow 3-light to north, very worn cusping. The east wall is set down
well below churchyard level, as is much of north side. North side has length
of plain wall, and a blocked 3-light Perpendicular with glass to tracery lights
only. Transept with plain east wall, coped gable with cross, above a C19
3-light Perpendicular to north wall; here also a bituminised plinth to c.1.5m
height; west wall with 3-light. North side of nave has a central 3-light
Perpendicular flanked by simpler 3-light, all to drip courses. Window generally
have relieving arches in deep voussoirs to neat extrados. Interior: tower has
C17 ringers' door in shouldered arch, deep set west door, from through square
opening, glased in on 2 steps to slate floor. Nave on slate and tile floor, C19
barrel roof, 4-bay arcade to 4 hollows and shafts to piers in granite; south
aisle on slate and tile, C19 barrel roof, doors at west end to porch and
priest's room. Chancel on 2 steps plus 2 at altar, double chamfer chancel arch,
including opening in respond for road; tile floor. Wide arch each side, that
to south on octagonal piers to flared capitals and double chamfer arch, squint
from south aisle. Piscina plus small arch alongside, possibly sedilia, but
looks small for this. South aisle through double chamfer arch, on slate and
tile floor, C19 barrel roof. Chapel to north, with organ, is very narrow.
North transept on wood floor, C19 barrel roof; blocked arch to north chancel
chapel. Fittings and monuments: Norman red sandstone round bowl font and good
round base, deep embellishment of scrolled and chevrons. Good carved and
painted C19 panel reredos vigorous 1867 marble pulpit, eagle lectern. Pews
late C19 pitch-pine. North transept has many marble commemorative tablets to
members of the Wise family, local benefactors; also a large upright incised
slate slab of 1616 to Edward Furlong. In south chapel are 2 good marble and
slate wall tablets, to Katherine Langworthy, 1659, very shallow incised letter-
ing on damaged marble surround to a steep pediment, and, in Latin, another
Langworthy, 1634. Both of these with some applied colour. In a display case a
bible of 1583. Royal Arms of George III over entrance.
(Pevsner N, South Devon, 1952)
Listing NGR: SX7209848649
