Church of St Mary
CHURCH OF ST MARY, CHURCH WALK
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II*
- List Entry Number:
- 1200893
- Date first listed:
- 08-Nov-1949
- List Entry Name:
- Church of St Mary
- Statutory Address:
- CHURCH OF ST MARY, CHURCH WALK
Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2005-04-01
- Reference:
- IOE01/14015/18
- Rights:
- © Mr John Warlow. Source: Historic England Archive
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II*
- List Entry Number:
- 1200893
- Date first listed:
- 08-Nov-1949
- List Entry Name:
- Church of St Mary
- Statutory Address 1:
- CHURCH OF ST MARY, CHURCH WALK
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- CHURCH OF ST MARY, CHURCH WALK
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Devon
- District:
- Torridge (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Bideford
- National Grid Reference:
- SS 45386 26423
Details
BIDEFORD
SS4526 CHURCH WALK 842-1/6/75 (South side) 08/11/49 Church of St Mary
GV II*
Parish Church. Probably C15; all but the tower rebuilt by Edward Ashworth in 1862-5. Fittings and monuments retained from old church. Stone rubble, with limestone details. Slate roof. Nave, N and S aisles with attached chapel on N, chancel, N and S chancel chapels, N and S porches, W tower. Both medieval and C19 parts in Perpendicular style. 3-stage tower with angle-buttresses at NW and SW corners; set-back buttresses at east end of north and south faces. 5-sided stair-turret on N face. Pointed-arched W doorway with double-ogee mouldings; C19 ribbed door with ornamental strap-hinges. Above it a 4-light traceried window with pointed arch (restored). Second stage has single-light windows with cinquefoil arches in N and S faces (both restored); that to S has square-headed slit window above it. 2-light apertures in each face, that to east apparently reduced in height to insert a clock; the other 3 openings have pointed arches, each light beneath having itself a plain pointed arch. Stair-turret has pointed-arched doorway (probably C19) with plank door having ornamental strap-hinges; 5 original slit windows. Tower finished with battlemented parapet. C19 body of church has traceried windows, mostly of 3, 4, or 5 lights; pointed arches, except for 4-centred ones on N and S sides of chancel chapels; hood-moulds have dramatic high-relief male and female heads as terminals. INTERIOR: nave has 6-bay aisle-arcades with 4-centred arches; similar 2-bay arcades in chancel. nave and S aisle have false hammerbeam roofs; arch-braced roofs over N aisle and chancel; wagon roofs over chancel chapels. Fittings: Norman stone font with scalloped bowl having carved panels and cable-mouldings. Doors in tower arch made up of early C16 carved bench-ends. C19 pulpit; white marble veined with orange; green and red marble attached columns; attached figure of Christ. Glass screen between the N aisle and chapel engraved by Peter Tysoe, 1982. Several stained glass windows, including east window by A Gibbs, 1865, and north window by Dix. Monuments: traceried stone screen between chancel and south chapel incorporating tomb of Sir Thomas Graynfild (d.1514); chest with quatrefoil panels carrying recumbent figure in armour; south aisle has wall monument with high-relief bust of John Strange, merchant (d.1646), four times mayor of Bideford; inscription recording his work during the plague, of which he died. (The Buildings of England: Cherry B: Devon (2nd edition): London: 1989-: P.174, 176).
Listing NGR: SS4538626423
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 375791
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Sources
Books and journals
Pevsner, N, Cherry, B, The Buildings of England: Devon, (1989), 174, 176
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 15-Jun-2026 at 10:54:43.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
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