Details
ST NEOT ST NEOT
SX 16 NE
9/129 Church of St Anietus (formerly listed
- as Parish Church of st Neot)
GV I
Parish church. C15, with C19 restoration. Granite ashlar. Slate roofs with raised
coped verges and cross finials.
Plan: Nave and chancel in one; north aisle with south porch and west tower.
Perpendicular style.
Nave: enclosed by aisles. Chancel: slightly advanced at the east end, with 4-light
east window, with cusped lights, 4-centred arch and hood mould. There is no plinth
to the nave and chancel.
North and aisle: of 5 bays, on hollow-chamfered plinth, with weathered moulded
buttresses and diagonal buttresses. Small C19 gabled vestry attached to west bay.
All 4-light windows to north, with cusped lights and flat head; at east end a doorway
with cambered head and chamfered surround, C19 Gothic panelled door. Between the 2
windows to east, rood stair tower with pitched roof. 4-light east window with Y-
tracery, cusped lights, 4-centred arch and hood mould; same window to west. Single
storey rubble lean-to in the angle between the north aisle and the tower.
South aisle: of 5 bays, with porch in western bay; on moulded plinth with weathered
butresses and diagonal buttresses, with embattled parapet and crocketted pinnacles
between each bay. 5 windows, all with 4-centred arch, cusped lights, Y-tracery and
hoodmould, with moulded string course above. The end bay to east has a 4-centred
arched hollow-chamfered priest's door, with C19 Gothic panelled door. Slate tablet
over with crest, to Richard Martyn, 1704. On buttress to east of door, slate sundial
with gnomon dated 1682. Large 5-light east window with Perpendicular tracery. 3
slate ledger stones attached to east wall, to Mary Thomas, 1705, one unidentified,
and one unidentified with Latin verses, dated 1705. 4-light west window as to south.
South porch of 2 storeys, on hollow-chamfered plinth, with embattled parapet with
crocketted pinnacles and weathered string course. 4-centred arched south doorway
with roll moulding, recessed spandrels with leaves, square hood mould. 2-light
window above with ogee lights, chamfered with recessed surround.
Interior of porch: has slate floor, stone benches to sides. The side walls have
triple shafts forming 2 panels with a granite vaulted roof with moulded ribs and
bosses. The inner doorway has 4-centred arch with roll mouldings and recessed
spandrels, no hood mould. Holy water stoup to right.
West tower of 3 stages, clasping buttresses surmounted by crocketted pinnacles,
embattled parapet. Weathered string courses, no plinth. The west door has 4-centred
arch with hood mould. West window replaced in C19 with 5 lights and intersecting
tracery. Second stage to south has tall 2-light window with cusped lights and upper
quatrefoil; clock at third stage all sides. Third stage has 3-light bell-openings
with slate louvres and 4-centred arch with hood mould carried round as a string
course.
Interior: wall plaster removed, C19 tiled floor. Nave and aisles have C15 waggon
roofs, ceiled with moulded ribs and bosses, C19 waggon roof to chancel. Tall plain
4-centred arch to tower, with imposts. C19 wooden screen across the chancel and the
east end of the aisles. Nave has 6-bay north and south arcade, with Pevsner A-type
piers with carved geometric abaci and 4-centred arches. At east and, the north
arcade has a narrow 4-centred arched doorway to the north chapel, and an ogee cusped
recess to side, possibly an Easter Sepulchre, with remains of wall painting above, of
figures. The north aisle has a south piscina at east end. Squint through to north
aisle from the sepulchre recess. North aisle has C19 lower and upper doors to the
rood stair. The south aisle has a heavy studded door with strap hinges and rounded
head, possibly of C16, stone newel stair on an S bend to the chamber over the porch;
this has a rough granite floor, and granite ceiling of roughly hewn monoliths.
Window hollow-chamfered internally.
Fittings: Square stone font in nave with blank arcade to one side, panels of trefoils
and quatrefoils to other sides, probably C14. C19 wooden pews and pulpit in nave,
with poppy head bench ends in the chancel. Letter of thanks from Charles I, Sudeley
Castle 1643, in north aisle. Marble tablet in south aisle, recording donation to St
Neot poor by John Robins, 1828. Parish chest in porch chamber.
Monuments in north aisle: slate ledger with incised nowy head with primitive cherub
with wings, Richard Pomery, 1744; slate chest tomb with front panel of kneeling
figures and upper panel of kneeling figures with crest and emblems of death, slate
lid with inscription, to William Bere and family, 1610. In south aisle: marble
tablet to Caroline Foot, 1813; marble tablet on slate ground with pediment and
acroterial ornaments and draped urn, to William Dangar, 1831; marble tablet with
pediment on slate ground, to Louisa Michell, 1879; marble tablet on slate ground with
draped urn, by Bedford of London, to William Dangar, 1868; marble tablet to Samuel
Thomas, 1792; marble tablet to Melicent Thomas, 1795.
Glass: C15 and C16 stained glass, much restored by John Hedgeland in 1830, but still
of high quality, with windows showing the Creation, the story of Noah, the storey of
St Neot and representations of local families. For full descriptions, see sources.
Sources: Radcliffe, E : Buildings of England: Cornwall 1970.
Listing NGR: SX1849267850
