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Home / Basics / West Worlington Church of St Mary Basics

West Worlington Church of St Mary Basics

Description
Gallery
Basics
Angel Stone Carving Plain 15th Century Medieval 13th Century West Tower Broach Spire Church Exterior Medieval West Worlington

Listed building grade 1

Regularly open

Address
Church of St Mary
West Worlington
Witheridge
EX17 4TT

Geographical coordinates

50°54’27.2″N 3°45’03.7″W (enter these in your smartphone navigator)

Click here for more directions and church information

Devonchurchland says…

West Worlington church is in a beautiful position in its own hidden churchyard overlooking a deeply rural valley.

The entrance is a tunnel through an old traditional thatched cottage, one of the prettiest church gates in Devon

The church has a gorgeous 13th century tower and a little later spire, and some lovely original windows. Well worth looking around the outside for a bit.

Inside it is a very medieval church, changing only slowly through the centuries. Good roofbosses and even better 16th century bench ends.

There is also a 16th century parclose screen, very nice indeed.

The chancel has a variety of delicious victorian floor tiles and also a 17th century memorial to Thomas Stucley. The Stucleys were the local patrons and a madder bunch of lads it would be difficult to find.

Some lovely stained in a couple of windows too.

All in all though this church is really special for its atmosphere, hidden away in the depths of Mid Devon. A must see.

Outline

PLAN

  • Nave
  • Chancel,
  • South aisle
  • South porch
  • West tower and spire
  • Perpendicular style

AGE

  • Predominantly C15
  • Tower C13
  • Chancel partly C14;
  • C19 restoration

BUILT FROM

  • Coursed local rubble
  • Coursed and squared to the tower
  • Some Bathstone dressings
  • Continuous gabled slated nave and chancel roof
  • Clay ridge tiles
  • Aisle with gabled roof with lead ridge
  • Slate roof to porch with clay ridge,
  • Timber twisted broach spire to tower
  • Clad with shingles

Exterior

WEST TOWER

  • Big, broad and squat
  • Large quoins to west
  • 3-light west window with a stilted arch head
    • Centre light reaching up to the apex
    • Flanking lights terminating lower down
    • Label which continues as a weathered drip right around the tower
  • Pointed-arch west doorway with 2 orders of cavetto mouldings
  • Studded plank door
  • Rebuilt 1976 after lightning strike
  • Retains some of its early structure
  • Lead capping
  • Weathercock

NAVE

  • Two 2-light trefoiled square-headed windows to the north
    • Labels
  • Similar window on north side of chancel
    • Appears replaced C19
  • 3-bayed aisle with 2-stage buttresses with offsets
  • Fine-traceried 3-light Perpendicular windows

CHANCEL

  • C13 style east window
    • 3 lights with intersecting tracery
    • (replacing an earlier window of the same style?)

PORCH

  • Small, gabled
  • Very plain outer door opening
  • Inside slate floor
  • Wooden bench to each side on a rubble base
  • C15 waggon roof with moulded ribs
  • Bosses replaced C19
  • Leaf frieze to wallplate
    • Part original, part recarved
  • Moulded Perpendicular inner door opening
  • C19 plank door, medieval style iron hinges

Interior

VARIOUS

  • Plaster removed from walls except the chancel
  • Slate floors, except
  • Chancel with Victorian High Gothic encaustic tile pavement
  • Simple double-chamfered tower arch,
    • Probably C15
  • No chancel arch
  • 3-bay arcade to aisle with Pevsner’s B-type piers
    • Standard Devon capitals with angel figures
    • Mask, and blank
    • Shields as well as the usual leaf decoration
  • Good set of carved C16 bench ends
    • Geometrical patterns
    • Tracery and floral carving in relief
    • Some C19 copies
    • Seat in aisle with back of Cl7 panelling
  • Fielded pine dado panelling to north wall of nave and south wall of aisle
  • Good traceried parclose screen
    • With Pevsner’s A-type tracery
  • C14 piscina to chancel
  • Victorian High Gothic pulpit
    • Lectern, altar rails and altar table
  • Georgian Royal Arms
  • Under tower
    • parish chest dated 1690
    • Early C19 strong box
    • Charity plaque dated 1835
  • C15 ring-chamber floor,
    • Moulded ribs, framed in 6 panels

ROOFS

  • Aisle with C15 waggon roof
  • Same style as in the porch
    • Moulded ribs
    • Bosses
    • (to centre with the Virgin and Child painted)
  • Cornice with a leaf frieze
  • C16 waggon roof to nave
    • Restored C19
    • Moulded ribs
    • Painted bosses
  • Wallplate with a pierced frieze
  • Ceiled C19 waggon roof in chancel
  •  

MONUMENTS

  • Wall monument to Thomas Stucley of 1663
    • With flanking Corinthian columns,
    • Pediment, strapwork ornament, cherubs and achievement
    • Coloured and gilded
  • Late C19 wall monument
    • Painted plaque over south door:
    • “John Cook Warden 1726”

STAINED GLASS

  • Much old glass to windows
    • Probably C18,
  • Clear panes with irregular canes
  • Fragments of medieval stained glass to top lights of west window of south aisle
  • Stained glass window to chancel dated 1890
  • Window to aisle dated 1908
  •  

Other information

Totally delightful

This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0

West Worlington Church of St Mary Description West Worlington Church of St Mary Gallery

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