Halberton Church of St Andrew Basics
Listed building grade 1
Regularly open
Address
Church of St Andrew
Halberton
Tiverton
EX16 7AR
Geographical coordinates
50°54’25.0″N 3°24’56.3″W (enter these in your smartphone navigator)
Devonchurchland says…
Halberton church, beautiful red stone, very well kept in a large churchyard, a real delight and with some fun grotesques dotted around.
Marvellously, this church was at the centre of the clearing of the rural slums of the 19th century, when there was nightmarish poverty, in this parish and many others, in the west country. The new vicar in 1862, Canon Girdlestone, was one of the main leaders who fought this scourge, and won, and his story is so much part of the church’s history.
The church itself is a stunner as well, with a marvellous interior and a line of two red stone arcades marching down the sides.
The rood screen is one standout, one of the earliest in the county, early 15th century, and a real beauty. Not at all in the common Devon style, and with over 200 roundels depicting a variety of subjects.
Then there is the medieval pulpit, the same age or even earlier, wood and well carved. Another beauty.
The Victorians have a look in with a very pretty altar back in the north chapel, very pretty indeed, painted with scenes from Christ’s life and some fine foliage stencilling into the bargain.
All this with some quality stained glass and this all makes is a church well worth visiting, as well as having that peaceful churchyard to sit in.
Outline
PLAN
- West tower,
- Nave
- North and south aisles
- North vestry set transeptally
- Chancel,
- Sanctuary
AGE
- Largely C15
- Chancel probably incorporates earlier fabric
- Font is Norman
- 2-storey vestry C16
- The church was extensively restored / partially rebuilt in 1847-8 by John Hayward
- Chancel restored 1887
BUILT FROM
- Coursed rubble sandstone
- Portland stone dressing
- Beer stone detailing internally
Exterior
WEST TOWER
- 2 stages
- Plinth
- Battlements with corner pinnacles
- Diagonal buttresses to north west and south west only
- Polygonal stair turret to north
- Rises to full height of tower
- Separately battlemented
- Perpendicular pierced belfry openings of 3-lights
- North, only of 2
- Large clocks below to south, west, and east
- One dated 1861
- Lower stage with single-light window to south
- 4-light west window
- Perpendicular
- Concave moulding bearing fleurons
- Contemporary west doorway
- Concave moulding
SOUTH AISLE
- 4-window bays with porch
- Polygonal rood screen/aisle roof access stair turret
- Whole front battlemented
- All south aisle windows Perpendicular, of 3-lights
- Largely C19 (i.e. probably 1847-8)
- Hood moulds and head terminals
- Moulded priest’s doorway
- Immediately east of stair turret
CHANCEL
- Windows all C19
- That to the north replaced in the awkward cramped position of the original
- Suggests that the chancel considerably earlier than the aisles
- 4-light east window
- Perpendicular with transom
- East end with gable parapet
- Unbattlemented
- All angles unbuttressed
PORCH
- Gable battlemented
- Heraldic panel above outer entrance
- Looks largely C19
- Inner south doorway
- Concave moulding bearing fleurons
- Ogee-headed canopied niche above
- Gargoyles to this side look medieval
NORTH AISLE
- 4 window bay
- These and those to east and west, of 3-lights
- Perpendicular
- West window, patched but largely original
- All with hood moulds and head terminals
- Substantial 2-storey vestry
- Unbattlemented
- 2-light square-headed window to north (first floor)
- And east (ground floor)
- Latter with its stanchions and saddle bars intact
Interior
VARIOUS
- Arcades of 5 bays
- No structural division between nave and chancel;
- 3 easternmost bays (1 to nave, 2 to chancel) with taller piers
- Break marked awkwardly with half capitals at different levels
- Pier sections octagonal
- All on identical square bases with pyramid stops
- Change in pier height might reflect a change in the medieval design
- But the Gentleman’s Magazine (June 1849) remarks that
- Whole church was new ‘with the exception of the 4 walls
- Piers and arches … rebuilt’
- Presumably using some old materials
- Double chamfered arches
- Look earlier than the conventional C15 standard type
- Capitals simply moulded
- With fleurons
- Unadorned tower arch
- Traces of saltire motifs on north aisles, north wall
Open wagon roof to nave and chancel- 1847-8
- Could retain earlier timber
- A large principal above the nave-chancel division
- Resting on stone corbel heads
- Flat plain boarded ceilings to aisles
- Rood loft entered through 2 studded doors which look medieval
- That to the south with elaborate floriated hinge
- Another medieval door to vestry
CHANCEL
- Ogee-headed, cusped piscina to sanctuary, south wall
- Fine, complex tiling scheme to sanctuary
- Pierced brass candle-holder panels to each side of sanctuary
- Along with 2 wall lamp holders
- All of circa 1847-8
FONT
- Norman scalloped bowl font
- 3 cones to each side with intersection dart
- Roll moulding to neck
- Cylindrical shaft
- Circular base
- C19 plinth
ROOD SCREEN
- Circa 1420
- According to Bligh Bond,
- Carefully repaired 1866
- 11 bays with groined coving intact on both sides
- Each bay with open tracery
- Perpendicular
- Not of the conventional Devon type
- But with a heavy central mullion
- Wainscoting to similar design
- Muntins with roll moulding and big moulded bases
- Moulded cornice survives
- Short connecting links to the piers immediately east
- Parclose screens extend eastwards of these piers
- 2 bays were removed to the tower arch in 1924
PARCLOSE SCREENS
- South Parclose
- 3 bays of 2-lights
- Much cusping
- Cornice of heavy vine leaf trails
- Battlementing
- Bligh Bond considers that it pre-dates the rood screen
- North parclose
- Later in date is
- 3 bays of 2-lights
- Similar to southern one
- But with much more knobbly cusping
- And a lighter vine trail cornice,
- More in the normal Devon mould
PULPIT
- Exceptional piece
- Detailing looks C14 rather than C15
- Especially the nodding ogee canopies
- Wooden
- Carefully repaired but largely intact with C19 open stair
- Polygonal
- 5 decorated panels
- All of 2 tiers depressed between angle fin muntins
- Upper tier with nodding ogee canopies, finials and pinnacles
- Lower tier with square-headed panels
- Each of 2-lights
- Tracery with roundels and ogee forms
- Central rail and inner faces of finial muntins adorned with knobs of foliage
- Base battlemented
- More foliage below
- Stone plinth
MONUMENTS
- South chancel aisle, south wall
- Humphrey Were, d. 1625
- Much damaged
- Architrave missing
- Armorial bearings and inscription panel of good quality
- 2 C17 tomb slates immediately west of screen
- Dated 1617 and 1621 respectively
- North aisle, north wall
- Richard Clark, d. 1728
- Cartouche with cherubs and shield
- South aisle, south wall, to Joan Pullin, d. 1774
- Slate memorial inscription
- Set in stone architrave-with entablature
- North aisle, north wall
- John and Cecilia Chave, 1807
- Weeping woman and urn
- C19 decorative work
STAINED GLASS
- 4, possibly C17, figures leaded into west window
- North aisle (in III)
- Ascension by Lavers and Westlake, 1894.
- East window
- Not dated, with scenes from the life of Christ
Other information
Canon Girdlestone, the vicar of Halberton between 1862-72, led a movement to eradicate to the deep rural poverty that existed at that time.
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