Bridford Church of St Thomas A Becket Basics
Listed building grade 1
Regularly open
Address
Church of St Thomas A Becket
Bridford
Exeter
EX6 7HT
Geographical coordinates
50°39’54.1″N 3°40’35.8″W (enter these in your smartphone navigator)
Devonchurchland says…
The situation alone is worthy of intense admiration, to drag stones up so many hills and then build such a marvellous granite church is a wonder.
Inside it is a granite again, along with wood and the most wondrous light. The clear south windows make the sky a neighbour at this height.
The rood screen is a work of art without equal, probably one of the best in Devon if not the country. It is covered in meaningful carvings of plants and flowers, and on the wainscoting are carved figures of saints and Holy Folk. It really is a most gorgeous creation.
On the back of the screen are some brilliant grisaille paintings, probably based on a well known morality play, and they are too are just so impressive.
There is some very nice medieval stained, battered but still retaining enough to show how good it is. Also a good East Window by Drake of Exeter.
Medieval roof bosses are also here, a Three Hares boss, some faces and a very rare one involving a figure with its back turned and excrement.
This is a church worth searching out and spending a lot of appreciation on.
Outline
PLAN
- West tower
- Nave
- Chancel
- 4-bay north aisle
- South porch
- Lean-to north-east vestry
AGE
- 14th century chancel
- 15th century nave, aisle and tower
- Some early 16th century fittings
BUILT FROM
- Mainly granite with slate roof and granite
- Chancel built from rubblestone
- Volcanic and freestone dressings
Exterior
WEST TOWER
- 3 stage battlemented granite ashlar tower
- Belfry stage rubblestone
- Corner obelisks
- Internal northwest stair turret
- Double-chamfered rounded west doorway
- 3-light decorated west window
- Volcanic tracery
- Granite mullions
- 2-light chamfered belfry openings on all 4 faces
- Moulded rectangular opening at bellringers’ stage on south face
NORTH AISLE
- Granite ashlar 4-bay north aisle
- 3-light Perpendicular windows
- Granite mullions
- 19th century freestone tracery
- Similar east window
- 2-light square-headed granite west window
- Decayed cusped freestone heads
- Replaced granite mullions
CHANCEL
- 14th century
- Built from rubblestone
- 3-light Decorated east window
- South side
- Buttress with set-offs
- Chamfered rounded priest’s doorway
- 1-light cusped 19th century Hamstone window to the left
- Medieval Decorated volcanic stone 2-light window to the right
- With a 19th century hood mould
- Rectangular ashlar granite rood stair turret
NAVE
- Granite ashlar nave
- Unusually large, grand Perpendicular window to the right of the porch
- Granite frame
- Freestone Perpendicular tracery
- Mullions with capitals
- Smaller 3-light Perpendicular window
- To left of porch with
- Granite mullions
- Freestone tracery
PORCH
- Gabled granite ashlar porch
- Angle buttresses with set-offs
- Rounded, moulded granite outer doorway
- 19th century timber gates
- Moulded inner doorway
- 17th century door (plank and coverstrip)
- Unusually refined Perpendicular boarded wagon roof
- Boarded behind the ribs to porch
- The ribs carved with beaded ribbons
- Delicately-carved bosses at the intersections
Interior
NAVE AND AISLE
- Unplastered walls
- Square-headed 19th and 16th century bench ends
- Granite octagonal font
- On a volcanic stem and plinth
- 1661 Royal Arms painted on a board
- Above the south door
- Early 18th century wall monument to Emanuel Hall
- Died 1703
- Inscription recording a charity
- In a moulded frame on the south wall
- Timber chancel arch at junction between nave and chancel roof
- Plain tower arch
- Conventional late 15th/early C16th century Perpendicular granite north arcade
- Granite doorframe to rood loft stair
- Rebated for a door.
CHANCEL
- Piscina
- With an ogival chamfered arch
- 19th century timber altar rail
- Chair made up of pieces of medieval carving
- In the early 19th century
ROOFS
- Probably Perpendicular ceiled wagon roof to nave and aisle
- Carved bosses to the nave
- 19th century keeled boarded wagon roof to the chancel
- With moulded ribs
ROOD SCREEN
- Notable early 8-bay
- Said to have once had a 1508 date
- Rood loft and coving are missing
- What survives is richly carved and coloured
- Unusual lively carved, (rather than painted) wainscot figures
- The pulpit is formed of similar panels
- Probably the model for the 16th century figures on the Lustleigh screen
- 4-bay Perpendicular traceried parclose
- The parclose and rear of the rood screen have large demi-figures painted on the wainscot
- of a probable 16th century date
STAINED GLASS
- East window, probably by Drake of Exeter with a memorial date of 1872.
- Fragments of 15th century stained glass
- In the south windows
- 15th century glass
- The remains of a scheme by the Doddiscombsleigh atelier
- In the east window of the Lady chapel
- Includes figures and armorial bearings
Other information
The rood screen alone makes this church a must-see, but the whole church punches so many tickets as well.
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