Church of St James the Less

CHURCH OF ST JAMES THE LESS

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Overview

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II*
List Entry Number:
1309259
Date first listed:
04-Oct-1960
List Entry Name:
Church of St James the Less
Statutory Address:
CHURCH OF ST JAMES THE LESS
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Location

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Date:
2004-06-05
Reference:
IOE01/11793/12
Rights:
© Dr Barbara Hilton. Source: Historic England Archive

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II*
List Entry Number:
1309259
Date first listed:
04-Oct-1960
List Entry Name:
Church of St James the Less
Statutory Address 1:
CHURCH OF ST JAMES THE LESS

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.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

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.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:
CHURCH OF ST JAMES THE LESS

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County:
Devon
District:
Torridge (District Authority)
Parish:
Huish
National Grid Reference:
SS5337211087

Details

HUISH HUISH
SS 51 SW
4/120 Church of St James the Less
4.10.60
GV II*
Parish church. Late C15 or early C16 tower, the rest rebuilt in 1873 by G. E.
Street. Coursed stone rubble walls. Gable-ended slate roof. Stone chimney to
vestry.
Plan: nave, chancel, south aisle and porch, west tower and vestry on north side of
chancel. Apart from the late C15 or early C16 tower the church was entirely rebuilt
in 1873 mainly in the early Decorated style.
Exterior: 3-stage castellated west tower with obelisk finials. Round-headed granite
west doorway with roll and hollow moulding and arched hoodmould. C20 rebuilt 3-
light Perpendicular style west window. 2-light segmental arched belfry openings.
Slit openings for stair on north side. North side of nave has 3 2-light and one
single light plate tracery type windows. At east end is lean-to vestry with arched
doorway. Large 5-light east window of Decorated Style and similar small 2-light one
on south side of chancel. The south aisle has a 3-light early Decorated style
window to either side of the porch and a trefoiled light towards the east end.
Single storey gabled south porch with 2 centred moulded arched doorway and diagonal
buttress either side.
Interior: south doorway has pointed arch with nookshafts. The internal walls are
lined with fine sandstone ashlar. The 3-bay arcade is of similar stone with 4-
centred arches and piers with moulded capitals. Wide similar chancel arch and
pointed sandstone tower arch. Chancel has sedilia and piscina in south wall. Arch
in north wall to vestry. Arch-braced collar beam roof to nave with cusping to
arches and angels corbels to principal rafters. Boarded roof to chancel and plain
wagon roof to aisle.
Octagonal front of Caen stone with very fine fleuron carving to panels and stem
consisting of clustered shafts, alternate ones of marble. The pulpit is of similar
stone, 3 sided with tracery carved panels. On the west wall of the nave is an oval
slate wall memorial to Jane Wollacombe who died in 1777. To the other side of the
tower arch are 2 more wall memorials - one slate with nowy head dated 1668 the other
marble and oval to William Spurway Gent who died 1715.
Source: Pevsner: Buildings of North Devon


Listing NGR: SS5337211087

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:
90909
Legacy System:
LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Devon North, (1952)

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.

Ordnance survey map of Church of St James the Less

Map

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 26-Jun-2026 at 08:34:17.

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© Crown copyright [and database rights] 2026. OS AC0000815036. Use of this mapping is subject to Terms and Conditions.

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

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