Church of St Materiana

Details

TINTAGEL TINTAGEL SX 08 NE 4/186 Church of St Materiana 17.12.62 GV I

Parish church dedicated to St Materiana. Circa C11 with north doorway of circa 1080 (Sedding) and south doorway of circa 1130 (Sedding). 2 Norman windows on north side of church and 2 on south. Norman font. Restored in 1870 by J.P. St Aubyn. Stone rubble including Greenstone, slate, hornblende and felspar. Ashlar stone in tower. Scantle slate roof to nave, lower rag slate roof to tower and slate roof with gable ends to north and south transepts. The Norman church appears to have been of cruciform plan. The north doorway, which was not accessible at time of survey (1986), was dated by Sedding to 1080 and the south doorway some 50 years later. The south transept, Sedding suggests was lengthened in the circa late C12, the transepts originally being of equal length. The remains of impost mouldings suggest that a crossing tower had originally been planned although it is uncertain whether the tower was built, the present west tower being of circa late C14 or early C15. In circa C14 the north porch was added and the south porch, possibly of the C14 was rebuilt in circa C18. Sometime possibly in the C14 a small chapel was added on the north side of the chancel and in circa 1500 the rood screen was erected. In circa later C19 an organ chamber was built between the north transept and the north chancel chapel, part of the chancel wall was taken down, an arch erected to carry the chancel roof and the earlier window reset in the newly erected north wall. The church was restored by J.P. St Aubyn in 1870 when it lost its roof and pews. West tower: of 3 stages with battlemented parapet and stair in projection on north side. 2-centred arch to west door with chamfer and diagonal stops and hoodmould. C19 door. 3-light west window with cusped heads and 2-light belfry openings with cusped heads. North porch: circa C14 the outer door with a very hollow chamfer to the almost round headed arch which has a double roll mould with cavello in between and large pyramid stops. The inner north door arch (not accessible) has Norman label and impost mouldings with a plain tympanum (Sedding). The medieval hinges which Sedding suggests are the only example of Norman ironwork which survives in Britain, have been reset and reused on the C20 door. North wall of nave has a Norman window; single lancet with deep splay and a 2-light window. The north transept has a C19 2-light west window, a 2-light window with cusped heads on the north and a 3-light lancet window in the east wall. Chancel: 3-light east window renewed in C19. The south wall has 2 windows, probably of C19 with a partly blocked Norman window which was altered when a circa C14 canopied recess was inserted in the Chancel. There is evidence of part rebuilding below the eaves in the south transept which has a circa C14 decorated 2-light window with a cusped head and two 2-light windows with cusped heads in the east wall. South wall of nave has a 3-light window with 4-centred arch and a single lancet window with deeply splayed reveals to the west of the south porch. The south porch has been rebuilt, possibly in the C18 witha stilted arch, the right hand jamb with a possibly date scratched - 179. South door with circa early C12 arch, 1 shaft circular and the other octagonal with differing capitals. C19 door and C19 roof to porch. Interior : Roof replaced during restoration of 1870; arch braced roof with 2 tiers of wind braces to nave and lower chancel roofs and 1 tier of wind braces in the roofs of the north and south transepts. 2-centred tower arch. 4-centred chancel arch possibly rebuilt in C19 with earlier chevron moulding to crossing tower, partly remains of impost moulding to crossing tower, partly replaced in 1870s. Rood Screed circa 1500 with Perpendicular tracery. Canopied recess of circa C14 on south side of chancel. Font, Norman with 4 carved heads at corners, stout central shaft and 4 octagonal shafts. St Julitta's font at west end of nave, possibly a Norman font bowl brought from St Jullita's chapel at Tintagel Castle (qv). Reredos with reused circa C15 carved bench ends from nave and from parish church of St Teath. Stone bench runs around west and south walls of south transept. Pre- reformation stone altar in north chancel chapel. Memorial brass of Joanna Kelly set in west wall of south transept, originally set in floor at east end of chancel, circa 1430. Roman stone at west end of south transept inscribed IMP C G VAL LIC LICIN, previously used as coffin rest at lower church stile (qv. lychgate to south of Church of St Materiana) until 1888. Canner, A.C. The Ancient Parish Church of Tintagel The Parish of Tintagel, some historical notes, 1982 Maclean, Sir John Parochial and Family History of the Deanery of Trigg. Minor in the county of Cornwall, 1970 Pevsner, N and Radcliffe, E The Buildings of England, Cornwall, 2nd edition 1970 Sedding, E.H. Norman Architecture in Cornwall, an handbook of Old Cornish Ecclesiastical Architecture, 1909

Listing NGR: SX0506688451

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

68846

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Sedding, H, Norman Architecture in Cornwall: A Handbook to Old Cornish Ecclesiastical Architecture, (1909)
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Gloucestershire: The Cotswolds, (1970)
Maclean, J, Parochial and Family History of the Deanery of Trigg Minor in the County of Cornwall, (1879)

Other
Canner, AC , The Parish of Tintagel some historical notes, 1982,
Canner, AC , The Parish of Tintagel some historical notes, 1982,

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