Church of St Briocus

Details

SX 37 NW
5/47
22.ll.60


LEZANT
VILLAGE CENTRE
Church of St Briocus


GV
II*


Parish church. Early C13, C14 and C15, restored 1869. Mainly roughly coursed
polyphant with granite to C15 windows and tower (large blocks); graded slate
roofs with ornamental tile cresting, stepped coped verges and C19 Celtic cross
to gable end of chancel. Nave; chancel; aisles; west tower; south porch and
north-east vestry/boiler house.
Tower: Circa 1480 in 3 stages with moulded plinth, chamfered string courses
and set-back buttresses. Moulded cornice, embattled parapet and octagonal
corner turrets with crocketed corner pinnacles rising above false battlements.
Small stone crosses to each pinnacle except north-west replaced by brass weather-
cock. Paired lancet on each side to belfry and recessed segmental-headed window
with hollow spandrels in rectangular surround and clock above to second stage
on south. First stage on west side has 3-light window with panel tracery and
hoodmould directly above moulded pointed doorway with quatrefoils and daggers
to spandrels and dripmould with circular label-stop on north and square label-stop
to south.
South aisle: West wall has C19 two-light Decorated style window in C14 internal
splay. Re-set C12 corbel of devil or cat at south-west corner. Three 3-light
C15 windows with panel tracery and hoodmoulds to south and contemporary gabled
porch in west bay. This has moulded 4-centred outer arch with carved decoration
to imposts. Slate sundial above with date "1686" and initials of churchwardens
inscribed. Pointed concave-moulded inner door with reset cross (probably from
north-west tower pinnacle) above. Ceiled waggon roof with bosses to centre
and ends. 3-light Perpendicular window with panel tracery and hoodmould to
east wall of aisle.
North aisle: Three square-headed C15 windows of triple cinquefoil-headed lights
with labels to north wall which has pointed single-chamfered doorway to far
right. Projection for staircase of rood screen immediately to west of east
window. East wall has 3-light C15 windows with panel tracery and hoodmould;
C14 broad cusped lancet to west wall.
Chancel: South side has C13 paired lancets with segmental relieving arch. C13
east buttresses. 3-light C19 Decorated-style east window. C19 lean-to to vestry/
boiler house on north side has pointed east window with L-hinges. Grave slabs
fixed to wall all round church including large slab on south wall of south
aisle commemorating Fitz Anthony Pennington (d1690).
Interior: Ceiled waggon roof to nave and chancel with bosses at intersections,
gilded to chancel which comprises C13 sanctuary and east bay of nave arcade.
Moulded granite cornice below wall-plate, stepped at junction between nave
and chancel marking position of former road screen. Bosses are square in shape
to nave and circular to chancel. Granite cornice terminates at join with sanctuary
but wall plate has billet moulding for full length of chancel. North aisle
has ceiled waggon roof with bosses at intersections and granite cornice with
later wood modillion eaves cornice directly above on south side. Similar roof,
said to have been entirely renewed in 1928 to wider south aisle without trailing
vine decoration to wallplate and granite cornice below. Nave arcades in 4
bays: C15 with granite moulded segmental arches on clustered columns with moulded
capitals and bases, practically identical to those at Church of St Michael,
Lawhitton (qv). Tower arch also segmental-headed having clustered responds
with moulded capitals and bases. Narrow single-chamfered 4-centred doorway
to internal stair turret. Doorways to staircase (surviving) and loft of former
rood screen in north aisle. C14 trefoil-headed piscina in south wall of chancel
and square aumbry in north. Apart from C12 octagonal Ventergen font, probably
originally with carved heads to corners and still with carved leaf emblem to
each cardinal face, fittings and furnishings are Cl9 and later. Late C19 and
early C20 stained glass in some windows including east window of south aisle
in memory of William Pallexfen Bastard, Rector of Lezant (d 1915). Reproduction
of C15 Felmish altar-piece at west end of north aisle.
Monuments: North aisle has three C18 and two C19 wall memorials. South aisle
has 2 early C19 wall memorials and wall memorial to Thomas Snell, Rector of
Lezant (d 1670) to west of door: Ionic columns surmounted by obelisks flanking
inscription panel with armorial device to top. In south east corner an early
C17 wall memorial of stiffly reclining lady holding skull with draped curtains
behind; Corinthian columns supporting entablature with armorial device to
centre and figures to corners: space for inscription panel beneath with grotesque
head below. Against east wall with slab of right return partly blocking piscina
in south wall is early C17 slate altar tomb, said to be memorial to Thomas
Trefusis (d 1610), his wife, Mary and their children. Armorial shields and
strapwork decoration to slab against east wall and carved kneeling figures
of Trefusis, wife and children with the decoration around border to right return.
BOE p 102.

Listing NGR: SX3384779087

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

393678

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Gloucestershire: The Cotswolds, (1970), 102

End of official list entry