Spreyton Church of St Michael Basics
Listed building grade 2
Regularly open
Address
Church of St Michael
Spreyton
Crediton
EX17 5AL
Geographical coordinates
50°45’19.7″N 3°50’53.2″W (enter these in your smartphone navigator)
Devonchurchland says…
A fine stone exterior leads to a modest interior with lots of granite, always a good sign indeed.
Entering, the south door seems almost surely to be the original one from the 1451 rebuilding, a lovely connection to the past.
The medieval granite font for one is, if not quite unique, definitely very arresting with very simple figures carved on the plinth and geometric decorations on the bowl.
The nave floor is worth a good look, tiles from the medieval onwards ageing so beautifully.
Up in the chancel roof is some total magic, not only some cracking roof bosses, a Three Hares one and a Green Man amongst others, but there is also a message well-carved in the 1451 woodwork from the priest at that time, Henry Le Maygne. It is an enchanting expression of faith, and another touch into deep history.
A fine church with, with some true awe in the chancel.
Outline
PLAN
- Nave
- Slightly narrower and lower chancel
- On a marginally different axis
- North aisle with east end chapel
- Not quite full length
- West tower
- Internal stair in north-west corner
- South porch
AGE
- Norman origins
- Present church is all C15
- Much of it a major rebuild dated 1451
- Thoroughly renovated in the late C19
BUILT FROM
- Tower and north aisle of massive blocks of coursed granite ashlar
- Nave and chancel apparently much rebuilt in C19 with local stone rubble
- Granite ashlar quoins
- Granite ashlar detail
- Slate roof
Exterior
WEST TOWER
- Tall landmark
- 3 stages
- Set back buttresses
- Embattled parapet with corner pinnacles
- 2-light belfry windows
- On the west side a round-headed doorway
- Moulded surround
- Window above
- Missing its 2 mullions and tracery
NAVE
- South side has a small gabled porch
- Probably C19
- With plain outer arch towards the left end
- To right a single square-headed 4-light window
- With round-headed lights
- Sunken spandrels and hoodmould
- This one is a C19 replacement
CHANCEL
- original similar 2-light windows
- Cusped heads
- A much restored 3-light window in the east end
- Priests doorway in south side is a tiny 2-centred arch
NORTH AISLE
- 3 similar much-restored windows
- Another with pointed head, Perpendicular tracery at east end
- Corner diagonal buttresses
- Break between aisle and chapel
- Marked by a semi-hexagonal rood stair turret
- A straight join suggests that the chapel is an addition
- Probably of 1451
Interior
SOUTH DOOR
- Doorway is probably C19
- Chamfered segemental-headed arch
- Contains an ancient studded plank door
- With original ferramenta
- And oak lock housing
ROOFS
- All are C15
- Nave has a ceiled wagon roof
- Moulded purlins and ribs
- Carved oak bosses
- Moulded wall plate enriched with 4-leaf motifs
- Aisle has a similar ceiled wagon roof
- Except that wall plates are carved with fruiting vines
- The chancel wagon roof is now open
- Ribs and purlins are hollow-chamfered
- Enriched with 4-leaf motifs
- And large oak bosses
- Naively but charmingly carved
- Feature the tinners hares, the green man and sacred monograms
- Wall plate similarly carved with foliage and vines
- Remarkable feature is the Latin quotations carved on the ribs and purlins
- Records the names of Henry Le Maygne, vicar
- “a native of Normandy who caused me to be built AD 1451”
- And “wrote this with own hand”
- And Robert of Rouen of Becedden, Prior of Cowick, near Exeter
- And Richard Talbot, Lord of Spreyton
- Who “gave their goods to my building”
ARCADE
- 5-bay arcade of monolithic granite piers
- Moulded (Pevsner’s type A)
- With plain caps to the arcade only
- The 4th arch (from nave to chancel) is much narrower than the rest
- Its arch is lop-sided
- The 5th arch is wider and lower than the rest
- Either it was built like this to accommodate the lower chancel roof
- Or it is 2 phases
NAVE
- Tall plain tower arch
- Apart from the change in roof levels there is no break between nave and chancel.
- The rood stair in the north aisle is intact
- Plain-granite doorways
- The walls are plastered
- Nave and chancel includes some C18 or early C19 fielded-panel wainscotting
- Many of the window embrasures have oak lintels
- Benches are oak
- In C16 style
- Carved wreathed foliage around the bench ends
- Gothic style tower screen
- All this furniture is late C19 or early C20
- Remains of a richly carved oak doorway
- From the former rood screen
- With delicate Perpendicular tracery
- Is preserved at the back of the church
- Painted royal aims of George III
- On a board in the north aisle
- Painted charity board dated 1825
- Over the south doorway
FLOOR
- The floor is made up mostly of stone flags
- Earliest are small and square;
- They are the same size as encaustic tiles
- Some probably C15 or C16 tiles are included amongst them.
- Floor includes some graveslabs
- Most are C17 and C18
- But a couple in the north aisle maybe medieval
FONTS
- Good late Norman
- Granite octagonal bowl
- Each side carved with simple geometric patterns
- Octagonal stem
- Each side carved with crude representations
- Recognisable for instance as the Tree of Life, Mortality, Our Lady crowned etc
- An apparently earlier crudely-finished circular font bowl
- In the north aisle
CHANCEL
- Altar comprises enormous slab of granite ashlar
- Indeterminate date
- Resting on an C20 oak table
- Altar rail, stalls and low chancel screen
- Which incorporates the pulpit
- Are built of oak in Gothic style
- Plain pine lectern and oak prayer desk
- C15 piscina in sanctuary
- East window has C19 glass
MONUMENTS
- The mural monuments are C18 and C19
- Best is in the chancel
- Dated 1763
- In memory of Thomas Hoare (d. 1746) and his wife Agnes (d.1763)
- Another good one in the north aisle
- In memory of John Cam of Fuidge (d. 1767)
Other information
Said to be at the geographical centre of Devon
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