Coldridge Church of St Matthew Basics

VARIOUS

• C15 tall and plain tower arch
• Inside of tower inaccessible at the time of survey
• Walls of the north aisle, the nave and Evans Chapel are stripped of their plaster
• All the windows have hollow-chamfered inner arches
• The blocked late C12-early C13 arch in the nave is now a recess
  • With simple soffit-chamfered imposts
• Granite font is late C12-early C13 on a late C19 stone base
• The square bowl has scalloped arcades along the sides
• Supported by a circular stem with minor columns on each corner
• Pyramidal oak cover is probably C17
• No mural monuments except for a brass plaque on the south aisle wall
• Recording the erection of the clock as a First World War memorial
• Oak lectern is late C19-early C20
  • Front includes a panel of oak carved in the same style as the pulpit and screen
• North and south aisles both include east end chapels
  • Do not extend as far as end of chancel
• South aisle has the Barton Chapel
• North aisle has the Evans Chapel
• Perpendicular style throughout

NAVE & CHANCEL ROOFS

• Open barrel-vaulted roof of common rafter trusses
  • Mended and backed with pine boards in the C19
  • But is mostly C15 carpentry
• Originally only a moulded purlin under the collars showed
• There is no chancel arch and the roof pitch is carried through
  • But the chancel roof springs from a lower level
• It is a similar open barrel-vaulted roof of common rafter trusses
  • Again appears mostly C15 work

AISLES ROOFS

• Both aisles have late C15-early C16 ceiled wagon roofs
• The south aisle roof is the finer of the two
• May be slightly earlier than the northern roof.
• Only a few of the moulded oak ribs and purlins have been replaced
• Most of the carved oak bosses survive
  • Square and carved with a variety of motifs
  • Such as sacred monograms, the Tudor rose and heraldic and fabulous creatures
  • A couple are inscribed but unreadable from the floor
• The north aisle has a 6-bay roof
  • Ovolo-moulded ribs and purlins
  • Simple square bosses carved with geometric designs
  • Plain wall plate
• Section over the Evans Chapel is a plain ceiled barrel vault

ARCADES

• There are similar tall granite arcades either side of the nave
  • Both have moulded piers (Pevsner’s Type A) with plain caps to the shafts only
• The southern arcade is 4 bays with 1 overlapping the chancel
• The northern arcade is also 4 bays with 2 overlapping the chancel
• The first in the chancel is narrower than the oth
• Arch is awkwardly askew
• At the west end the respond cap has wreathed bead and ribbon enrichment
• Includes an heraldic achievement

FLOORS

• The floor of the nave and south aisle is C19 parquet but includes 2 coffin-shaped graveslabs
• The oldest near the west end may be C13 and has a bas relief cross bottonee
• Another near the Barton Chapel is probably C17
• But the surname and date have worn away
• Both are accompanied by panels of reset C16 or C17 green-glazed relief-decorated tiles
• The north aisle and chancel have patterns of different-coloured C19 tile
  • Include some more relief-decorated tiles
• In the chancel there is also the odd C19 encaustic tile
• The altar is flanked by reset graveslabs
• One in memory of Mary Vickrey (died 1726) to left
• Other to right in memory of Thomas Holc… (died 1650) has been cut to fit

ROOD SCREEN

• Very good and little restored late C15-early C16 oak rood screen
  • Across chancel and both aisles
• 12 bays with double doors to the aisles and chancel
  • All hung on original butterfly hinges
• Each bay has slender Perpendicular tracery (Pevsner’s A type)
• Over panelled wainscotting with applied tracery
• The middle rail and window reveals have carved scrolled wreathworks
• Each post is moulded with clustered shafts and plain caps similar to those on the arcade
• The ribbed coving above is filled with good quality Gothic tracery
• There is a frieze of 3 bands of delicate and densely carved foliage
• On the reverse of the coving in the Barton Chapel one carving does not keep to the pattern
• Represents the upside down head of a Tudor lady with an enormous tongue!
• At the left end is the blocked granite 3-centred archway to the rood stairs

PARCLOSE SCREENS

• North side of the vestry
• The larger arcade arch to the Evans Chapel contains a reset late C15-early C16 oak parclose screen
  • Cut at each end to fit
  • Otherwise well-preserved and very little restored
• Faces into the chapel
• 5 bays with central doorway and the outer bays incomplete
• Wainscotting contains linenfold panelling
• Windows are square-headed
  • 3-lights with twisted mullions
• Head filled with Flamboyant tracery
  • Each tracery opening is further subdivided by a lacework of tiny Flamboyant curves
• Door appears to be a restoration reusing some original oak
• Each bay separated by tiimber buttresses carved with crocketted finials
• Headbeam is carved with a single cornice of fruiting vine
  • 2 pinnacles with crocketted finials
  • Between there are the fragmentary remains of delicate openwork crestwork
  • Apparently carved in the same style as the sub-tracery
• This unusual screen is thought to be the work of Breton craftsmen
• Very similar to screens at nearby Brushford and Colebrooke
• The other northern arcade bay has plain early oak-framed wainscotting
• Southern arcade bay has probably late C17-early C18 pine scratch-moulded panelled wainscotting

PULPIT

• Carefully renovated late C15-early C16 oak
• Octagonal drum has shafts carved bayleaf frames and nodding ogee canopies
  • Delicately carved openwork tracery above
• Niches below were intended for figures of saints
  • Cornice is of similarly carved vine leaves

BENCHES AND WOODWORK

• The nave benches are late C19
  • Possibly reusing older fielded panelling
• Aisles and Barton Chapel contain late C15 and early C16 benches
• Barton Chapel, bench ends have wreathed frames around simple blind tracery
• The bench frontal, possibly from a prayer desk, has a linenfold front
• Desk top was inscribed or recut in C19 in Latin in memory of John Evans (died 1511)
• South aisle bench ends have moulded frames and are carved with geometric patterns
• One includes a head of John the Baptist on a platter motif
• North aisle bench ends also have moulded frames but are plain and undecorated
• Barton Chapel includes a C17 oak table with heavy turned legs
• There is also an oak chest of circa 1800
• With a lobed frieze across the front over panels
  • Containing lozenge enrichment and fluted muntins
• Right of the south door is a C17 oak hutch
  • With a chip-carved front of fleur-de-lys and geometric flower motifs

CHANCEL

• North side of chancel has small blocked round-headed window
  • In a deeply-splayed embrasure
  • Around which the ashlar voussoirs alternate
  • Between cream- coloured Salcombe stone and purple volcanic
• It is presumably Norman
• The abaci in the chancel also include some carved enrichment
• That on the cap of the east end respond bears the legend ‘orate pro anima Jones Evans’
• Plain C20 oak altar rail
• C19 stalls

BARTON CHAPEL

• Small piscina reset in the southern window sill

EVANS CHAPEL

• Now used as the vestry
• North wall has the table tomb of John Evans
  • Died 1511 according to an inscription on a bench in the Barton Chapel
• Recessed into the wall under a granite ogee arch
  • Moulded surround and rams head stops
• Carved Beerstone recumbent effigy of Sir John in chain mail with a surcoat
• Somewhat defaced angel by his head holds a shield
  • Bears the legend ‘John Evas’ (sic)
• Projecting ledge of granite below bears a series of holes along the top from now-missing railings

EARLY GLASS

• The east window of the Evans Chapel includes a C16 stained glass figure
• Representing Edward VI or V holding a book and sceptre beneath a crown
  • From which flows ermine
• There are some other contemporary stained glass fragments in the south aisle
• The north aisle window tracery includes some green glass
• East window of the Barton Chapel has some blue-tinted bottle glass in the top lights

PORCH

• Attractive floor of small pitched cobbles around 3 flagstones
• Slate memorial to John Ridd, curate (died 1810) fixed to the west wall.
• Roof dates from 1897
• South doorway is a late C15-early C16 granite 4-centred arch
  • Moulded surround and rams head stops
• Plank door is C19