Churchstow Church of St Mary Basics
Listed building grade 2*
Regularly open
Address
Church of St Mary
Churchstow
Kingsbridge
TQ7 3QW
Geographical coordinates
50°17’56.7″N 3°48’33.3″W (enter these in your smartphone navigator)
Devonchurchland says…
Churchstow church is a deceptively simple church, well worth a close look. Its position for one, set on a local high point, definitely a statement of faith possibly stretching back to pre-Saxon times.
There is some fine stonework on the exterior, the tower for one, a very local style, tall and grey/black, almost Brutalist, and the porch entrance… Plus some lovely old windows in the north transept.
The nave has some modest late 18th or early 19th century pews, and some good granite arcading.
The pulpit is made from medieval panels, bench ends or parts of the old screen, and the Norman font is modest again, but a powerful design.
There is a very good 1970 East Window showing an enthroned Christ surrounded by some Passion images, and other earlier stained glass as well.
But it’s the atmosphere that really wins here, in this bare-bones church seemingly at the mercy of the winds high up here, everything tucked away neat and shipshape ready to set sail into the sky.
Outline
PLAN
- West tower
- Nave,
- Continuous to chancel
- North transept
- South aisle and chantry chapel
- Taken through to east wall of chancel
- 2-storey porch west of south aisle
AGE
- C14 and C15
BUILT FROM
- Coursed slate-stone
- Granite dressings
- Slate roof
Exterior
WEST TOWER
- 3 stages
- Each slightly inset to weathered string course
- Full height set-back
- Buttresses with offsets
- Central octagonal stair turret on south face
- Rising to battlement
- Above battlemented parapet
- On continuous corbel
- West front has near-round arch to C19 door
- Under 3-light C15 window
- To rows of voussoirs to relieving arch
- Drip course
- Small 2-light traceried windows to bell chamber
- Square-headed light above ridge to east face
- Round-headed light to top stage left of stair turret
SOUTH AISLE AND CHAPEL
- Aisle west end has 3-light to round arch
- And wall in same place as porch
- Five 3-light windows
- Rounded heads
- Segmental drips to horizontal stops
- Divided by 4 buttresses to 2 offsets
- And corner buttress
- Last bay includes priest’s door
- To 4-centred head
CHANCEL AND EAST END
- High coped verges to two east gables
- Terminal cross to chancel
- Each with 3-light C19 Perpendicular window
- Below which a course of large squared granite blocks set flush
- Cut well down into the churchyard
- On return a C19 vestry,
- 2-light square-headed window
- Stopped drip
- Outer gable with square stack.
- North side of chancel has a 2-light C15 window
- Then a squint window
- With its own flat-pitched covering
PORCH
- Diagonal buttresses to 2 offsets
- 2-light C16 window to square label
- Over 4-centred Tudor doorway
- Heavy moulded square drip course
- Plinths have 2+2 panels
- With quatrefoils or rosettes
- Interior slate floor,
- Stone benches
- Flat ceiling
- Inner door to 4-centre head in simple mould
NORTH TRANSEPT
- Small early C14 light in east wall
- North wall with 3-light C15
- No quoins or dripstone
- West wall plain
- But a high plinth to c.2 m
- High coped verge
NAVE (NORTH WALL)
- 3 light Proto-Perpendicular window
- Then 3 buttresses to 2 offsets
- Plinth in plain wall
Interior
NAVE
- Heavy double-chamfer tower arch on simple responds
- C19 screen to tower arch
- Slate slab floor,
- Plain plastered and scribed north wall
- 4 bay granite arcade
- On standard 4 hollows and four shafts to heavy capitals
- Barrel roof in 4×12 compartments
- Moulded and stopped ribs and bosses
- This carries through in 4 x 7 compartments to chancel
- Good C19 pulpit on flared base
- Incorporating some C15 panels
- Standard pews throughout
- Possibly late C18 or C19
- No chancel arch
CHANCEL
- Raised on one step
- Slate floor
- C20 altar and reredos
- Walls plastered as nave
- North door to vestry
- Return ends to choir stalls, facing nave
- Possibly medieval
SOUTH AISLE ROOF
- Similar to nave
- 4 x 12 compartment barrel ceiling
- Carried through as 4 x 7 compartment ceiling to chantry chapel
NORTH TRANSEPT
- Deep, narrow
- Slate floor
- Plain walls
- Access for rood stairs
- Squint
- 4 x 4 compartment barrel ceiling
FONT
- Square bowl
- Some arcading
- Possibly C12
- Victorian base
MONUMENT
- Small detached panel with coat of arms in good frame
- Near pulpit
- 1715 to John Petters Esq
- Coustemer of Devon
- Gave 20/- yearly
- Some good slate floor slabs
- In south chantry chapel
- Variegated marble one
- To Samell Ryder, Armiger 1727 (Aet 35) and Martyn Ryder 1723 (Aet 80)
- East window to Edward and Ann Harding, 1970
Other information
A good church with little C19 modification, and a fine upstanding tower visible from many of the surrounding parishes.
The un-traceried windows characteristic of many in Devon and Cornwall using the intractable granite for construction.
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