Lapford Church of St Thomas of Canterbury Basics
Listed building grade 1
Regularly open
Address
Church of St Thomas of Canterbury
Lapford
Crediton
EX17 6PZ
Geographical coordinates
50°51’35.4″N 3°48’12.4″W (enter these in your smartphone navigator)
Devonchurchland says…
Lapford Church is a stunner, the outside is a beauty and the inside is very special indeed.
To start with, the 16th century rood screen is one of the best in England, let alone Devon, full of intricate carving; it is also a fusion of Gothic and Renaissance, and works so well.
Then, above the screen, is the medieval ceilure, a specially carved part of the ceiling, that really brings the whole alive.
The bench ends then need attention, some from the 15th century, some from the 16th, all just scintillating superb. A collection of wonder.
There is good stained glass too, a modern window by Devon Stained glass artist Andrew Johnson, and some gorgeous Victorian coloured glass.
This is a real ‘must see’ church if you are in the area, and also if you are not. It is that good.
Outline
PLAN
- Nave
- Smaller and narrower chancel
- North aisle
- North vestry
- West tower
- South porch
AGE
- Norman origins
- Rebuilt C15
- North aisle added and nave re-roofed late C15
- Vestry added 1869 according to Cresswell
- Chancel complete rebuild of same time
- South porch rebuilt 1871
- Further renovation 1888 by Packham, Croote and Stuart
- Included scraping and repointing masonry
- Exposing and repairing the roofs
- Some window replacement
- 1955 restoration by Lt. Col. Bertram Shore
BUILT FROM
- Original fabric mudstone rubble
- Granite, red sandstone and volcanic ashlar detail
- C19 snecked mudstone masonry and red sandstone
- Hamstone and Bathstone detail
- Slate roofs
- Crested ridge tiles on north aisle
Exterior
WEST TOWER
- Tall
- 3 stages
- Diagonal buttresses
- Embattled parapet
- Semi-octagonal stair turret
- Projecting from south-east corner
- Embattled parapet
- 4 bold drip courses
- Carried round the stair turret and buttresses
- Rise as hoodmoulds over doorway
- And window on west side
- Replaced belfry windows of red sandstone
- All 2-lights
- Trefoil heads and quatrefoil in arched head
- West side C15 doorway
- 2-centred arch with moulded surround and roll stops
- C19 studded plank door
- Plain heavy hinges
- Tall 3-light window above
- Restored Perpendicular tracery
- Drip course at sill level on this side only
- Late C19 carved gargoyle water spout at top on the north-west corner
- South side has an unusual and very weathered sandstone niche in lower stage
- Now contains a C19 statue of St Thomas a Becket
- Middle stage, a 2-light window to the ringing loft
- Similar to the belfry windows
- But of volcanic stone and original
- Stair turret has tiny slit windows
- 1 quatrefoil light
- East face shows evidence of an earlier higher roof
NAVE
- South side much restored
- Renewed Bathstone window at left end
- Square-headed and 2-lights
- Cinquefoil heads and hoodmould
- Towards right end is much-restored, arch-headed window
- Perpendicular tracery
- East end a volcanic and red sandstone offset buttress
- Reduced in height
- Possibly C15 work
- Gable end is slate hung above the chancel
PORCH
- C19
- Bathstone quoins
- Kneelers and coping to gable end
- Outer flat arch with moulded surround
- Lancets either side
CHANCEL
- Wholly C19
- South side has two 2-light Perpendicular windows
- Buttress between them
- East end has diagonal buttresses each side
- Kneelers and coping to gable
- Which is surmounted by a fleuree cross
- Contains large 3-light window
- Perpendicular tracery
- Moulded hoodmould
- Large labels carved as bishops heads
- Near the apex, a trefoil headed ventilator
- Set into bottom of wall a plaque recording the 1955 restoration
- By Lt. Col. Bertram Shore (Architect), Harry Partridge (master builder) and Michael Tucker (master mason)
- North side has 2 lancets
NORTH AISLE AND VESTRY
- East end and gable end of vestry have same kneelers
- Coping, cross and ventilator
- As the chancel
- Former contains a 3-light Perpendicular window
- Latter a 3-light Decorated window
VESTRY
- East side an arched door containing a plank door
- Gothick cover strips
- Strap hinges with fleur-de-lis finials
- North-west corner a large chimney shaft
- Supported by an offset buttress
NORTH AISLE
- Immediately to right of vestry break between C19 rebuild and C15 north aisle clearly seen
- North aisle nevertheless heavily restored
- 3-window front of tall square-headed 3-light windows
- Elliptical heads, sunken spandrels and moulded hoodmoulds
- Original granite heads
- Renewed mullions
- Restored buttresses between
- Chamfered granite plinth
- West restored in style of C19 rebuild of east end
Interior
VARIOUS
- Moulded chancel arch on corbels
- High tower arch
- Triple-chamfered
- Ring dying into plain sides
- Stair turret projects into south-west corner
- Includes a granite arch
- Containing a C15 oak studded plank door
- Late C15 4-bay granite arcade to north aisle
Moulded piers (Pevsner’s Type A)- Moulded capitals to shafts only
- Wide low arches
- Walls have been stripped of plaster
- Much restored
- Large crank-headed arch to C19 vestry
- C19 tile floors throughout
- Gothic-style Beerstone stem pulpit
- With octagonal drum
- Marble shafts to arcade
- Dated 1860
- Gift of Henry Kelland
- Oak lectern of 1884
- Perpendicular Gothic-style Beerstone font
PORCH
- Tiled floor includes a C17 granite gravestone
- Sunken border
- Bold lettering rising from it
- ‘God rest the soul of John Killan’
- C15 south doorway
- Granite 2-centred arch
- Moulded surround
- Roll stops
- Contains an ancient studded oak door
- Thought by some to be Norman
- Coverstrips are C19
- Massive plain strap hinges, other iron fittings, large oak lock housing all original
- Above south door is a semi-circle of voussoirs
- May be a blocked Norman arch
ROOFS
- A very fine late C15 wagon roof
- Now open but formerly ceiled
- 8 bays
- Main trusses with moulded ribs and purlins
- Large carved bosses
- Carved vine leaf wall plate
- Angels bearing heaters stand on shaped corbels
- Under each main truss
- 2 bays nearest chancel have a ceilure
- Panels are boarded
- Diagonal cross braces
- Crestwork around the panels and on the wall plate
- Bosses are richer
- Whole finished with paint and gold leaf
- 11-bay wagon roof to north aisle is similar
- Not quite as grand as the nave roof
- Here too the original ceiling has been removed
ROOD SCREEN
- Late C15 (?)
- 8-bay oak across both nave and aisle
- Well-preserved
- Amongst the finest in the country
- Pevsner’s B Type Perpendicular tracery
- Over panelled wainscotting
- With applied ogival tracery and lower quatrefoils
- Ribbed coving over the arches enriched with carved Renaissance motifs
- Above this cornice is covered by 4 friezes of densely carved openwork foliage
- Delicate cresting
- Chancel door has been rehung
- Door to former north chapel is missing
- Bay to left of chancel door had mullion removed in C17
- To accommodate a reading desk
- Lintel with lobe decoration inserted
- Rear of screen is less decorated
- Contemporary oak 3 bay parclose
- East bay of wainscotting has an applied strip of chip-carved oak
- 4 trefoil heads.
- 4-light square-headed windows
- Slender Perpendicular tracery
- Round headed door
BENCH ENDS
- Most C15 oak benches
- 2 distinct types but both are C15
- Earlier benches now to south of nave and north of aisle
- Moulded surrounds to bench ends
- Boldly carved panels
- Either tracery or rigidly symmetrical plant motifs
- Later C15 benches mostly in the middle of nave and aisle
- Include original rear benches
- Frontal with colonnade of flamboyant Perpendicular
- Applied tracery and lower quatrefoils
- Bench ends have carved foliage frames
- Similar tracery to 2-panels
- These contain a variety of carved motifs
- In matching pairs arranged on heaters
- Sometimes heraldic achievements, plant symbols, human faces
- Some allegoric, such as symbols of the Passion
- One features the initials of the Saint John family
- Who had the manor and advowson from 1430 to circa 1490
- Some C19 benches to rear
CHANCEL
- 4 bay C19 roof with false hammer beam trusses
- Moulded archbraces
- Cusped queen struts above collar
- Similar roof to vestry
- Oak Communion handrail on wrought iron supports
- Repoussee vine leaf brackets
- Some patterned encaustic tiles
MONUMENT
- On south wall
- Single plain marble mural monument
- To James Wills Patridge
- Died 1836
STAINED GLASS
- Memorial East and South windows
- Both to Kelland familyMade by Beer and Driffield 1888-9
- North windows have attractive late C19 leaded glass
- Geometric patterns made up of small panes of coloured translucent glass
- Simple flowers in heads
Other information
Perpendicular throughout
Exceptional interior
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