Lych gate to the Church of St Peter

Summary

Lych gate, approximately 35m to the north of the Church of St Peter. Built in the late C19.

Reasons for Designation

The lych gate to the Church of St Peter, erected in the late C19, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural and historic interest:

* as a carefully-composed design that reflects its medieval predecessors in its form and its emphasis on vernacular building traditions, materials and craftsmanship;
* for its degree of survival and attention to architectural detailing such as the chamfered and stopped timbers, and the trefoil motif to the gablets.

Group value:

* with the Grade-I listed Church of St Peter and the scheduled and Grade-II listed medieval cross within the churchyard.

History

Lych gates are the ornamental gateways leading into churchyards, with the word ‘lych’ having origins in the Anglo-Saxon word for corpse. Traditionally, they have held both a symbolic and practical purpose, functioning as the threshold between the secular and sacred zones of a parish, and as a meeting point and a shelter for burial parties to convene before entering the consecrated church yard and beginning funeral rituals.

The Church of St Peter (Grade I) has C13 origins but the lych gate, approximately 35m to the north, is a later addition. Built in the late C19 it utilises a design that has been used for lych gates since the medieval period.

Details

Lych gate, approximately 35m to the north of the Church of St Peter. Built in the late C19.

MATERIALS: a timber frame, painted black, set on granite stone plinths, with a hipped and gablet roof covered in concrete tiles, replacing the original bands of plain and scalloped clay tiles.

PLAN: of two unequal bays comprising a coffin and a pedestrian entrance accessed from north to south.

DESCRIPTION: three upright timber posts with arch braces to the sill beam. From the arch braces are angled struts to the tie beam. Smaller arch braces rise from the posts to the central axial beam, forming a pointed arch to the pedestrian entrance. The timbers are chamfered with run-out stops. The roof structure is hipped with gablets at the apex featuring timber trefoil motifs.

The lych gate stands on three granite stone plinths which span a stepped approach to the churchyard. The steps have granite kerb stones and cobbled floor platforms of Mortimer slate stones.

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 8 February 2024 to amend details in the description

Sources

Other
Ordnance Survey, Devon (1888, 1:2500)
Ordnance Survey, Devon (1905, 1:2500)
Fisher, J, ‘North Tawton Conservation Area Character Appraisal’.
Kelly's Directory of Devonshire and Cornwall. Part 1. Devon: County & Localities (1893), p591

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