Details
SS31 SW BRADWORTHY CP VILLAGE CENTRE
6/12 Church of St John the Baptist
14.2.58
GV II*
Anglican parish church. C13, restored after being struck by lightning and chancel
enlarged 1400, tower added c1500, church gutted by fire and restored C18, restored again
and reseated in 1840, C19 vestry, church restored and reroofed 1883-4, tower restored
1897. Random rubble local stone, squared and coursed to tower, slate roofs, that of south
transept higher than the nave with offsets on tower indicating pitch of earlier nave
roof, decorative bargeboards to gabled slate-roofed porch. Undivided chancel and aisless
nave, south transept, manorial pew projection on site of north transept, west tower.
Crenellated and unbuttressed 3-stage tower with crocketed finials, 2-light bell-openings,
square-headed openings to stair on west front, 3-light west window, depressed arch to
west door with square hoodmould and labels, strongly noulded dado and plinth. South
front: 2-light cinquefoil headed window, roundheaded arch to C19 porch with reset
sundial, boarded roof, south door opening c1400, C18 door, 3-light cinquefoil headed
window to right, similar to south transept, 2-light trefoil-headed window on east face
of transept, 2-light uncusped window to chancel, priest's door adjoining, 3-light
cinquefoil headed east window, north front 2-light cinquefoil-headed window to chancel,
similar to manorial pew projection, 3-light uncusped window adjoining blocked C19 porch,
cinquefoil-headed 2-light window to west. Interior rendered, C19 painted scroll above
East window, vestry render grooved as ashlar, west end exposed rubble, C19 panelled dado
to nave and transept. Ribbed and ceiled barrel vault to chancel, arch braced roof to
nave. go chancel arch, tower arch double chamfer dying into imposts. Unmoulded two-
centred arches to south transept and north pew. Chamfered two-centred arch opening to
piscina in chancel flanked with small niches for candles. C18 raised and fielded
panelling to manorial pew known as the Berridon pew. Octagonal pulpit c1700 with a
frieze of winged putti and acanthus volutes, and a dado of bay leaves, turned balusters
where originally there were panels. Reredos dated 1923 in memory of C.P.C.Griffin,
earlier C18 reredos of inlaid fruitwood resited over south door. Turned baluster altar
rails, C18/C19 possibly reused. C16 Barnstaple tiles in chancel and around font. Square
Norman font on 5 circular columns. Royal coat of arms of George III above north door.
Monuments: slate tablet to Ann Nichols died 1696 in voluted frame with swan neck
pediment and putti; slate tablet to Thomas Cholwell died 1681 and his wife, died 1714,
architectural frame surmounted by urn with flowers and leaves. C19 stained glass in
south transept, in nave dated 1909 in south-west window, in south-east 1898. The so-
called Berridon pew of th Griffin family may be the retrains of the north transept, or
possibly a tomb niche. (Berridon is a C19 estate.) There are a large number of fine C18
and C19 slate headstones in the churchyard. (Cherry and Pevsner, The Buildings of
England, Devonshire, forthcoming; C.T.Collacott, Bradworthy Past and Present, 1984;
Kelly's Directory, 1889.)
Listing NGR: SS3246813981
