Knowstone Church of St Peter Basics
Listed building grade 2*
Regularly open
Address
Church of St Peter
Knowstone
Bishop’s Nympton
EX36 4RW
Geographical coordinates
50°59’42.3″N 3°40’14.9″W (enter these in your smartphone navigator)
Devonchurchland says…
Knowstone is famous for having a gangster priest back in the early 1800s, an ugly man who put the name of the church to shame. Happily though the actual parish church survived.
The interior space is unusual, and goodly so. The Gothic arcade was replaced in the 19th century with classical pillars, very unusual in Devon, and makes a lovely contrast to the medieval building.
The pews too are a grand collection of panelled oak, well worth a close appreciation.
There is some wall painting remans around the old rood stairs, and a very nice Victorian sanctuary.
Medieval roof bosses also help, and some good stained glass as well.
Knowstone is a collection of ages that really should not fit, put together quite haphazardly apparently, but making for a good space with plenty of interest
Outline
PLAN
- West tower
- Nave
- North aisle
- Chancel
- South porch
AGE
- The south doorway said to be Norman
- But surviving fabric appears principally C15
- North aisle possibly early C16.
- North aisle arcade was probably rebuilt and the church refenestrated in the C19
BUILT FROM
- Random stone rubble
- West tower and north aisle rendered
- Slate roofs with gable ends
Exterior
WEST TOWER
- 2 stages
- Diagonal buttresses
- Polygonal north-east stair-turret
- Embattled parapet
- C19 2-light bell openings to each face
- Perpendicular style west window
- 3 lights
- Blocked pointed arched moulded west doorway
NAVE
- C19 3-light window to right of south porch
- Slate capped shallow rood stair projection
CHANCEL
- Perpendicular straight-headed window of three 4-centred arched lights
- Flat 4-centred arched priests doorway on south side
- C19 Perpendicular style 3-light pointed arched windows to east end of chancel and north aisle
- Lead rainwater head between dated 1750
- Inscribed ‘St Peters
NORTH AISLE
- 4 C19 straight-headed windows of 3 lights
- Intermediate buttresses
PORCH
- Gabled slate roof
- Crested ridge tiles
- Shaped bargeboards
- Unmoulded outer stone doorway
- Semi-circular arched dressed stone inner doorway
- With moulded imposts
- Old studded plank door
- C15 unceiled wagon-roof
- Moulded longitudinal members
Interior
NAVE AND AISLE
- Continuous north arcade of 4 bays
- Semi-circular arches and square piers
- Described as ‘modern’ in early C19
- Tall tower arch
- Double ogee and hollow moulded surround
- C19 pulpit
- Incorporates one open traceried panel of former screen
- Painted Royal Arms dated 1724, P. Hynam, Warden
- In north aisle
- Several reset tone slabs
- Late C16 to early C18
- East end of north aisle
- C19 tiled floors
- Raised and fielded panelled benches
- Font
ROOFS
- Plastered barrel roof to nave and chancel
- Ceiled wagon-roof to north aisle
- Decorative carved bosses at the intersections
CHANCEL
- C18 communion rails
- Formerly with alternating barley sugar and straight turned balusters
- Some have been removed
MEMORIALS
- Chancel south side
- John Culme (d. 1791)
- Figures resting on broken pediment
- Central achievement, Ionic colonettes and skull to base.
- On north side
- Small wall tablet to Philip Shapcote (d. 1690)
- Wall monument to Froude family, including Revd. John Froude (d. 1852)
STAINED GLASS
- 2 windows
- To south side of nave and to north aisle
- By Drake
- East window 1854
Other information
The life of the Rev John Froude, the gangster priest, is worth looking up to help understand the state of the North Devon church in the 18th and early 19th centuries
This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0
