Westleigh Church of St Peter Basics
Listed building grade 1
Regularly open
Address
Church of St Peter
Westleigh
EX39 4NN
Geographical coordinates
51°02’12.3″N 4°10’47.6″W (enter these in your smartphone navigator)
Devonchurchland says…
On the River Torridge near the North Devon coast Westleigh church sits quietly at the back of its village looking very charming indeed.
There is a lovely 13th century font inside, which gives a good indication of the age of the church, though most of the building is from the 15th/16th centuries.
The roof bosses are a very nice collection, showing some unique carvings, though their dating is a bit of challenge.
The bench ends though are unequivocally 16th century and equally gorgeous. Some have Instruments of the Passion, some Renaissance doodling, and there are many with letters on.
In the chancel there are some very nice Victorian floor tiles indeed.
There is also an excellent variety of wall memorials, and some entrancing stained glass.
A worthwhile church indeed.
Outline
PLAN
- West tower
- Nave,
- South porch
- South transept
- North aisle
- Chancel
AGE
- Possibly C13 fabric to nave
- Early C14 chancel
- Both remodelled in C15/C16
- When south transept, west tower and north aisle were added
- Restored 1879 by J. F. Gould
BUILT FROM
- Stone rubble
- Roughly coursed to tower
- Ashlar dressings
- Slate roof to nave and chancel
- Coped gable ends and crested ridge tiles,
- Bitumenized scantle slate roof to north aisle
Exterior
WEST TOWER
- 3 stages
- Embattled parapet
- Thick buttresses covering the angles
- Polygonal stair turret on south side
- Bell-openings on north, west and east sides
- Windows replaced in C19
- Semi-circular headed with Y tracery
- Single pointed arched window openings to first stage on east side
- Perpendicular pointed arched west window of 4 lights
- With foliated label stops to the hoodmould
- Semi-circular headed west doorway
- Elaborately moulded surround and hoodmould
NAVE SOUTH SIDE
- Tall Perpendicular straight-headed window
- Hoodmould of 3 cusped headed lights
- Straight-headed Perpendicular window of 2 cusped headed lights
- Between south porch and transept
SOUTH PORCH
- Moulded stone kNeelers to gable end of roof with apex gablet
- Niche above pointed arched doorway
- Engaged shafts
- Foliated decoration to the capitals
- Thin ribs with small capitals to the centre of the hollow chamfer of the moulded surround
- Ceiled waggon roof
- With moulded ribs
- Bosses at the intersections
- Pointed arched inner door
- Hollow and straight chamfered moulded surround
- Early plank door with old lock
SOUTH TRANSEPT
- C19 4 light window at south end
- Similar 3 light window on east side
CHANCEL
- 2 pointed arched windows to chancel
- Y tracery and hoodmoulds
- Fanking pointed arched priest’s doorway
- C19 Decorated style 3 light window at east end
- Intersecting tracery
NORTH AISLE
- C19 window to east end
- 4 straight headed granite windows
- Three 4-centred arched lights
- With hoodmoulds
Interior
VARIOUS
- 4 bay arcade with Pevsner ‘A’ type granite piers
- Roll moulded capitals only to the main shafts
- Unmoulded pointed arch to south transept
- Ceiled waggon roofs throughout
- Moulded ribs
- Various ornately carved bosses at the intersections
- Nave has angel figures bearing shields
- At the foot of each rib to each wall plate
- Crenellated wall plates to transept
- Which like those of the chancel have various foliated ornamentation at intervals
- Small trefoil-headed piscina to south wall of south transept
- Considerable number of medieval patterned Barnstaple tiles
- To nave, south transept and north aisle
- Brass oil lamps intact
- C19 pulpit
- Early English font
- Lead-lined bowl
- Supported on engaged corner shafts
- Smaller shafts to centre of each facet
BENCH ENDS
- C16 pews to nave
- 12 to north side
- 6 to south side
- Elaborately carved
- 3 to rear south side moulded top rails
- But without carving to the end
CHANCEL
- Trefoil headed piscina
- partly retooled
- With radiating ribs to the base at east end of chancel
- Patterned Victorian tiled floor to chancel
PAINTINGS
- Christ by Harlow c.1830
- “Rizpah” by Lord Leighton
- 2 diamond shaped hatchments painted with shields
- East wall of south transept
- And to west wall of north aisle
MONUMENTS
- North wall of chancel
- Charles Cutcliffe 1745
- North wall of north aisle
- William Clevland
- Pedimented with achievement to base
- 1745
- Archibald Clevland by E Physick
- 1854
- Trophied surround
- Augustus Clevland
- 1849
- Weeping maiden under a willow
- By M W Johnson of New Road, London
- Augustus Saltern Willett
- 1813
- By N Dovell of Pilton
- Oval medallion capped by urn
- North wall of north aisle
- John Clevland
- 1817
- By J Kendall of Exeter
- Draped urn over plaque
- South wall of nave
- Thames Challacombe
- 1681
- Ionic pilasters with richly decorated surround
- Chancel south wall
- John Clevland
- 1763
STAINED GLASS
- C19 to eight of the windows
- Including south end of south transept
- Early C19 glass in memory of Revd John Torr and Thomas Berry
- East end of north aisle
- To Archibald Clevland who died at Inkerman, 1854
Other information
A fascinating set of 16th century bench ends and a fine position makes for a lovely church
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