Woolfardisworthy Church of All Hallows Basics
Listed building grade 1
Regularly open
Address
Old Market Drive
Woolfardisworthy
Bideford
EX39 5TY
Geographical coordinates
50°57’53.8″N 4°22’35.0″W (enter these in your smartphone navigator)
Devonchurchland says…
Way up near the north-west coast, Woolfardisworthy is a strongly built church with a powerful tower, more similar to church towers way down in South Devon than to most local churches.
There is an astounding survivor of a Norman south door, with beakheads and chevrons, and finely carved capitals to its embracing columns. A real stunner.
Inside the first thing is the light; minimal stained glass means the place is flooded, and the simplicity of the space underlines this.
An advantage here, for the centrepiece of the nave has to be the medieval benchends, with Instruments of the Passion, figures and sigils all carved on them. The highlight is a crucified Christ, terribly moving to see here. It is one of only about two or three that have survived on Devon benchends.
Coming close behind as a must see in the nave is the Norman font, a primeval creation, looking as if it was dragged from the nearby sea-pounded rocks at the dawn of creation.
The chancel is a place of peace and simplicity, and the East Window of 1925 is a nice slow burn. What seems at first glance like a good Crucifixion scene turns into something with much more depth on closer inspection.
The Richard Cole monument of 1610 is a beauty with a lot of its original colour remaining and a fine reclining figure in armour.
All in all, a fine church in some very pretty countryside.
Outline
PLAN
- Nave
- Chancel
- North aisle
- South transept
- South nave porch
- West tower
AGE
- Built 1851 to replace an earlier churcNorman origin
- Mid C15 tower,
- C14 nave and transept
- C16 aisle, porch
- Vestry C19 incorporating some earlier roof
- Restored in 1872
BUILT FROM
- Coursed local rubble
- Slate roofs
- Stone coped verges
Exterior
WEST TOWER
- Stage tower
- Offsets between the stages
- Central 5-sided crenellated stair-turret
- Trefoiled and quatrefoiled openings on the south facade
- Rising above the body of the tower
- Embattled parapet with corner pinnacles
- Probably of C18 or early C19
- 2-light bell-chamber windows
- 2 of them C15 with tracery,
- Square-headed window, probably of similar date, to west
- Large square corner buttresses on bottom stage of the tower
- 3-light west window
- Tracery replaced in the C19.
- West doorway in a simple surround of 2 orders
- Replaced C19
NAVE
- 2-bay
- 2 windows with virtually semi-circular heads
- One of 2-lights, one of 4-lights
- Openings and reveals ancient
- Windows C19 Perpendicular style
SOUTH DOORWAY
- Norman semi-circular head of 3 orders
- Chevron and beak-head ornament
- Carved cushion caps and hook shafts
- Door probably C18
PORCH
- Gable C19
- Floor of C17 reused monument slabs
SOUTH TRANSEPT
- Large 4-light window to the south
- C19 tracery
- 3-light basket-arch headed window to west
- Also C19
NORTH AISLE
- 5 bays
- Chamfered stone cornice,
- 3-light windows
- 2 to east with original C16 tracery and jambs
- One with tracery renewed in C19
- One window blocked, probably in the C17
- When a monument was introduced in the aisle
- North wall with 2 C18 memorial slabs
- Good incised lettering and emblems of mortality
- North doorway
- Simple chamfered stone 4-centred arch
- Restored C19 east and west windows
CHANCEL
- 2 late C16 windows to the south
- 2-lights with square heads
- Stopped labels
- Cinquefoil at the head of each light
- Between these a doorway with simple chamfered stone surround
- Door possibly C18
- 3-light east window
- C19 Perpendicular tracery
- Opening and reveals certainly earlier
VESTRY
- Small C19 vestry at east end of north aisle
- Chimney with projecting rubble breast
- Brick shaft
- 2-light C16 or C17 window reused to the east
- Doorways in the aisle and chancel with C19 wrought-iron dog gates
Interior
NAVE
- No chancel arch
- Rubble tower arch possibly rebuilt
- Internal walls retain much early plaster
- Plaster barrel ceilings of C17 with large bold cornices
- Probably covering medieval roofs
FLOORS
- Flagstone floors
- Replaced in chancel and part of nave with concrete slabs
AISLE
- With what is believed to be an early altar
- 5-bay arcade
- Depressed 4-centred arches to aisle
- With 4-clustered shafts
- 2 with carved initials to caps
FONT
- C13
- Square bowl on central shaft of clustered columns
- 4 angle shafts
- Remains of ancient colour
FURNISHINGS
- 2 C17 tables
- C19 reading pulpit, altar rails and chains.
- Good Perpendicular C15 or C16 carved bench ends in nave and north aisle
- With various religious devices
- Other C19 benches
STAINED GLASS
- C19
- East window of north aisle 1870
- Main east window 1925 by Drake and Sons of Exeter
MONUMENT
- Chancel
- White marble oval wall tablet with urn above
- To Mary Hammer died 1793
- White marble Neo-Classical Tablet
- To Bartholomew Prust of 1862
- By Baker
- White marble oval wall tablet with urn above
- North aisle
- Good large early C17 or late C16 to a member of the Cole family
- Ancient colour survives throughout
- Trophy reliefs supporting round-arched recess
- Framing reclining figure in armour
- With inscription panel (faint) in strapwork cartouche
- Flanking Corinthian columns support pulvinated frieze and attic storey
- With 3 armorials in strapwork frames between 2 obelisks
- Limestone grey marble wall tablet
- To John Whitlake dated 1750
- With Roman Doric frame to inscription
- Urn above
- Secondary cartouche in apron below
- To Mary Whitlake (d.175 )
- Plain rectangular white marble tablet
- Inscribed to John Robbins
- “who was thrown from his horse and perished in a deep snow on 11th Feb 1784”
- Adjoining above is the apron of a missing C17 limestone monument
- Skull wings, fronds and cherubim
- Retaining ancient colour and gold
- Tablet to Rev Joseph Prust Neo-Classical
- White and grey marble
- First half of C19 by Baker
- Good large early C17 or late C16 to a member of the Cole family
Other information
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