Details
CHURCHSTOW VILLAGE CENTRE
SX 74 NW
5/77
Church of St Mary
GV II*
Anglican Parish Church, formerly dependency of Buckfast Abbey. C14 and C15.
Coursed slate-stone, granite dressings, slate roof. West tower, nave, conti-
nuous to chancel, north transept, south aisle and chantry chapel taken through
to east wall of chancel, 2-storey porch west and of south aisle. Tower in 3
stages, each slightly inset to weathered string course, full height set-back
buttresses with offsets; central octagonal stair turret on south face rising to
battlement above battlemented parapet on continuous corbel. West front has
near-round arch to C19 door under 3-light C15 window in to rows of voussoirs to
relieving arch, drip course. Small 2-light traceried windows to bell chamber,
square-headed light above ridge to east face, round-headed light to top stage,
left of stair turret. Aisle west end has 3-light to round arch, and wall in
same place as porch. Porch has diagonal buttresses to 2 offsets, 2-light C16
window to square label over 4-centred Tudor doorway, heavy moulded square drip
course; plinths have 2+2 panels with quatrefoils or rosettes. Interior slate
floor, stone benches, flat ceiling, inner door to 4-centre head in simple
mould. 'South aisle' and chapel has five 3-light windows with rounded heads and
segmental drips to horizontal stops, divided by 4 butresses to 2 offsets, and
corner buttress. Last bay includes priest's door to 4-centred head. High coped
verges to two east gables with terminal cross to chancel, and each with 3-light
C19 Perpendicular window, below which a course of large squared granite blocks
set flush, and cut well down into the churchyard. On return a C19 vestry,
2-light square-headed window with stopped drip; outer gable with square stack.
North side of chancel has a 2-light C15, then a squint window with its own
flat-pitched covering. North transept has a small early C14 light in east wall,
north wall with 3-light C15, no quoins or dripstone. West wall plain but a high
plinth to c.2 m; high coped verge. Nave has a 3 light proto-Perpendicular
window, then 3 buttresses to 2 offsets and plinth in plain wall. Interior:
tower has heavey double-chamfer arch on simple responds; nave to slate slab
floor, plain plastered and scribed north wall, 4 bay granite arcade on standard
4 hollows and four shafts to heavy capitals. Barrel roof in 4x12 compartments
with moulded and stopped ribs and bosses; this carries through in 4 x 7 compart-
ments to chancel, with no chancel arch; raised on one step, slate floor, C20
altar and reredos. Walls plastered as nave. North door to vestry. South aisle
similar to nave, 4 x 12 compartment barrel ceiling carried through as 4 x 7
compartment ceiling to chantry chapel. Deep, narrow north transept, slate
floor, plain walls, access for rood stair, squint 4 x 4 compartment barrel
ceiling. Fittings: good C19 pulpit on flared base, incorporating some C15
panels. Standard pews throughout, possibly late C18 or C19 return ends to choir
stalls, facing nave, possibly medieval. Font has square bowl with some arca-
ding, possibly C12, on Victorian base. C19 screen to tower arch. Monuments:
small detached panel with coat of arms, and in good frame, near pulpit; 1715 to
John Petters Esq er, Coustemer of Devon, gave 20/- yearly. Some good slate
floor slabs, and in south chantry chapel a variegated marble one to Samell
Ryder, Armiger 1727 (Aet 35) and Martyn Ryder 1723 (Aet 80). East window to
Edward and Ann Harding, 1970, signed:
A good church with little C19 modification, and a fine upstanding tower visible
from many of the surrounding parishes. The un-traceried windows characteristic
of many in Devon and Cornwall using the intractable granite for construction.
Listing NGR: SX7124845911
