Lustleigh Church of St John the Baptist Basics
Listed building grade 1
Regularly open
Address
Church of St John the Baptist
Lustleigh
Moretonhampstead
TQ13 9TA
Geographical coordinates
50°37’06.5″N 3°43’07.7″W (enter these in your smartphone navigator)
Devonchurchland says…
Set in a very pretty village in an oval churchyard Lustleigh church is a charm and more. The church gate by itself gets pulses racing.
The history is deep here, the oval churchyard surrounded by a road (was it originally a ditch?) gives a strong suspicion of a Celtic Christian foundation, and inside is an old stone from 5th to 7th century inscribed in Latin, the language of the church.
There is of course far more. Three 14th century effigies, two knights and a lady, and so much good granite.
The rood screen is delight, its date arguable. I would put it late 16th century, and probably a chancel screen rather than the original rood screen. Carved figures on the wainscoting and along the top and the general feel might indicate that this is the last wisps of traditional Devon carving disappearing into the Protestant deserts.
There is a wonderful set of 20th century bench ends carved with local animals, farm and wild, with a few outliers thrown into the mix, such as a unicorn.
The pulpit of the same age by Herbert Read, is also beautifully done, very much showing the resurgence in the medieval style that was happening then.
A delightful church, with more sweet enchantments, and well worth a visit combined with a wander around the village.
Outline
PLAN
- Nave
- Chancel
- South transept
- Porch
- North aisle
- Vestry east side of transept
AGE
- C15 or early C16
- C13 chancel
- C19 vestry
BUILT FROM
- Roughcast stone;
- Tower, porch and buttresses of north aisle of granite ashlar
- Slated roofs
Exterior
WEST TOWER
- 2-stage
- Battlements and pinnacles
- West doorway with moulded 2-centred arch
- 2-light belfry openings
- Almost rounded arches
SOUTH PORCH
- Deep
- Battlements
- 2-centred arched doorways
- Outer with wave moulding
- Inner with plain chamfer
- Granite seats internally at either side
- Wagon roof
- Plain holy water stoup
NORTH AISLE
- Early C16
- 3-light granite windows
- Almost pointed heads to the lights
- Straight granite hood-moulds
CHANCEL
- Triple lancet window on east
- Single lancet window on north
Interior
VARIOUS
- North arcade of 4 granite arches
- 4-centred heads resting on monolithic columns
- Attached shafts
- Hollow mouldings between
- North wall of aisle 2 recesses with 4-centred arches
- Containing re-set effigies
- Stair to rood loft has granite steps
- Top and bottom doorways with rounded heads
- Wide, pointed double-chamfered arch to south transept
- Chamfered, round-headed tower arch
- Wagon roofs with carved bosses
- Mid C16 carved rood screen
- Plainer parclose screen
ROOF
- 1851
- Scissor-braced trusses
FONT
- Norman
- Plain bowl
- Supported in the centre by a thick, cable-moulded shaft
- On its perimeter by 6 later black marble columns
PORCH
- Plank door with large false strap hinges
CHANCEL
- 3 sedilia with trefoiled arches in south wall
- Next to them is a piscina
- With 2 pointed arches
- Quatrefoil panel above
- In north wall a blocked recess
- Double hollow moulding
- Pointed head
- In each of north and south walls, high up
- A small carved stone with 2 holes in
- Designed for hanging the Lenten veil
MONUMENTS
- Tomb slab of circa 550-600
- Previously on floor of south porch.
- Inscribed DATUIDOCI CONHINOCI FILIUS
- Datiudoc son of Conhinoc
- Re-set medieval effigies in wall recesses
- 2 in north aisle, 1 in south transept
Some good C17 floor slabs
- 2 in north aisle, 1 in south transept
Other information
Information on the C6 tombstone is displayed in Lustleigh Church.
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