Church of St David

Details

LITTLE DEWCHURCH CP - SO 53 SW 5/52 Church of St David 26.1.67 GV II* Parish church. C14, rebuilt, apart from tower; from 1869-71 by F Preedy. Sandstone ashlar and Welsh slate roofs with cresting to chancel. West tower, two-bay nave with south porch and two-bay chancel. West tower is C14 but thoroughly restored. Deeply moulded plinth, two external stages, embattled parapet and grotesque water spouts to corners. Diagonal buttresses to north- west and south-west extend into upper stage. Top stage has a pair of ogeed openings with blind spandrels under recessed moulded square head to each of the four sides. Chamfered newel loop to right of centre in upper stage of south side. Deeply recessed loop above restored 2-light trefoil ogeed west window. Quatrefoil in tracery. North elevation of nave has two pairs of trefoiled lights with blind spandrels under square heads: Weathered buttress and verge to right-hand side. Similar buttress with tall stack above separates nave from chancel. East verge has gable cross. Chancel has one lancet to left and a pair of lancets to right-hand side: Buttress to left-hand corner. Verge and gable cross. East elevation of chancel has three stepped trefoiled lights recessed under outer chamfered two-centred arch: Kneelers to gable: South elevation of chancel has similar windows to north side but are separated by priest's doorway with two-centred head and continuous chamfers: Ledged door with strap hinges: Buttress separates chancel from nave: Windows of nave are like those opposite except that to the right has three lights. West end of nave has kneeler with verge running into tower. South porch has double chamfered continuous arch with pyramidical stop to bases of each order. Flanking weathered buttresses. Gable cross. Each return has a chamfered lancet. Two-leaved gates have saltire crosses forming open panels. Roof has scissor struts. Stone side benches. Inner arches of lancets in returns have broad heads with chamfers dying into jambs. South doorway has two-centred arch with continuous chamfer and pyramidical stops. Two-leaved oak door with scrolled strap hinges. Interior has nave roof with corbels supporting wall posts and swept braces. Collars have king struts carrying raking struts. Between these and principals are decorative infills in the form of cinquefoils and quatrefoils; Chancel roof is similar but with foliated corbels and no cinquefoiled and quatrefoiled infill in trusses. Chancel has octofoil drain, perhaps medieval, re-set in south-east window cill. Marble and tessellated reredos with Agnus Dei flanked by angels: Stained glass in east window of The Crucifixion, Annunciation, Visitation of the Shepherds and the Ascension: North window has The Good Shepherd; the south; the raising of Lazarus: Oak communion rails with four trefoil-headed panels and trefoiled spandrels divided by turned shafts: Late C19 single manual organ with mahogany case, galvanised pipes and double-hinged brass sconces Brass altar cross for Alan Cameron, dated 1881; has glass and ruby-coloured finials to sides of stem: Two wrought iron candlesticks with brass scrolled enrichments stand about five feet high: Oak choir stalls and benches with trefoiled open panels: Two-panelled matching desk to west end of south side: Chancel arch has two-centred arch with three continuous orders and pyramidical stops. Nave has tower arch with two continuously chamfered orders and low pyramidical stops. Above it to the left is a newel loop: Pulpit is stone with trefoiled projection, in plan, to west. It is supported by clustered shafts. Moulded top and recessed band mid-way up the west side in the centre of which is a roundel with "IHS" set in deeply undercut foliations: Small quadrant shaped seat to inside. Font is in similar style. Circular moulded base, cylindrical stem with tapered bowl, the latter having four roundels with crosses and diving dove for The Holy Ghost. Cover is oak with wrought iron flying ribs converging on a large brass cross. Three free-standing candlesticks with brass scrolls similar to those in the chancel. Two late C19 to early C20 oil lamps on west wall. Three chrome and frosted glass hanging lamps in Art Deco style, probably mid-C20. Pine pews have scrolled oak ends in C17 style. On north wall is white marble monument to the seven men of the parish who fell in the First World War. Beneath, a small memorial plaque to a fatality of the Second World War, John Hansard, a chief stoker, killed in "CHARYBDIS" in 1944. RCHM states that some C13 and C14 windows from the previous church were partly re-used in the re-building. (BoE, p 235; RCHM, Vol I, p 47-8).

Listing NGR: SO5295031759

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

155648

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Inventory of Herefordshire I South West, (1931), 47 48
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Herefordshire, (1963), 235

End of official list entry

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