Church of St Mary

Details

SX 48 SW MARYSTOW MARYSTOW

6/168 Church of St Mary - 21.3.67 GV I

Parish church. Parts of the south doorway C12; chancel possibly partly C12 and C14; nave, north aisle, north chancel chapel and tower late C15 and C19, porch probably C16, vestry extension C19. Largely local stone rubble, the upper parts of the tower and front of the porch dressed granite brought to course, granite and freestone dressings, asbestos slate roof. Of the C12 church, which was probably nave and chancel, a remnant of the south doorway survives and the chancel masonry may also be C12. The masonry of the south wall suggests that there may have been a probably C13 transept and a cruciform C13 plan, with the chancel remodelled in the C14. A north aisle and west tower were added in the C15 with some C16 alterations. In the C19 a 2-bay extension, gabled to the north, was added to the north chancel chapel, the chancel was restored and the roofs replaced. The east wall of the chancel has a coped gable with kneelers and a 3-light Decorated C19 east window with hoodmould. A straight joint between the east and south walls and a pilaster buttress at the east of the south wall suggests that the east wall has been rebuilt. 2 Decorated 2-light windows on the south wall with hoodmoulds are C19 restorations of C14 windows. The easternmost window is small and set hight under the eaves to allow for the C14 double sedilia inside. Nave south wall masonry very patched , a pilaster buttress at the east of the wall may mark the opening of a former transept. A 2-light square-headed granite window to the west of the porch looks late C19 or C20. To the east of the porch a tall 3-light arched C15 Perpendicular window with a moulded architrave, then a very large 4-light uncusped square-headed granite C16 window with hoodmould opposed to a similar window in the north aisle. Disturbance to the masonry below the window suggests that it may have been inserted in the position of an opening to the former transept. The north aisle has an arched 3-light Perpendicular C19 window to the east wall, and 2 C15 arched freestone Perpendicular windows with hoodmoulds to the west of the 3-light C16 granite window. The west window of the aisle is a 3-light arched Perpendicular C19 window with a hoodmould. The 2-bay C19 addition on the north side has 2 gables to the north and two 2-light granite C19 Decorated windows with hoodmoulds. The upper parts of the west tower were rebuilt in granite in 1824 (Pevsner). 3-stage battlemented tower with diagonal buttresses and an internal north west stair turret with slit windows. The buttresses have set-offs and rise to the string course below the battlementing where they terminate in octagonal corner pinnacles external to the parapet and are crowned with obelisk finials. The west face has a shallow-moulded arched west doorway with a hoodmould and a 3-light C19 granite arched Perpendicular west window with a hoodmould formed by the rising string. On the east face the string course rises to form the hoodmould of a tall rectangular chamfered opening at bellringers stage which has a stanchion and saddle bars. 2-light chamfered square-headed belfry openings to all 4 faces. The south porch has a coped gable, slate roof and an almost round-headed doorway chamfered on both sides. The porch has a canted boarded C19 roof, stone benches and a holy water stoup. A rectangular recess in the porch was apparently a fireplace although the chimney has since been blocked. Above the moulded arched circa early C16 inner doorway is an order of C12 moulding with a saltire cross and billet decoration. Circa late C16/early C17 studded door. Interior. C19 timber chancel arch, widened at the south to take in the thickness of the south wall. 6-bay C15 north arcade, 2 bays to the chancel with granite monolith piers of 4 shafts and 4 hollow-chamfered arches. The north aisle is equal in width to the chancel. The unmoulded tower arch rises above the apex of the C19 ceiled waggon nave roof with ribs and bosses. Similar roofs to chancel and north aisle, the north aisle roof carried straight through to the north chancel chapel. The C19 addition to the north chancel chapel has a single stone pier repeating the mouldings of the C15 piers, supporting a double timber beam. The south chancel windows have C14 internal masonry and C14 Beerstone inner arches, the mouldings dying into the walls. Fine C14 Decorated double sedilia with deep cusping. Metal commandment boards and good east wall tiling, probably 1860s. A fine C12 font with a square bowl with chamfered corners below 4 carved heads with angular profiles has intersecting round-headed blind arcading carved on the sides of the bowl with a leaf ornament and frieze (qv Lifton). The bowl stands on a probably later chamfered stem and plinth. 3-bays of the late C15/early C16 rood screen are re-used as the tower screen, including the doorway bay. Wholly Gothic in character, the screen has Pevsner A type tracery, and deep blind tracery to the wainscot panels, wainscot paintings no longer exist by but some traces of ancient colour survive on the screen. The coving and rood loft have disappeared. A 1903 5-sided drum pulpit has open traceried panels on a stem with struts. Circa late 1860s bench ends and choir stalls, the rectanular bench ends with a variety of blind tracery designs and doors to each bench. The north chancel chapel is dominated by a massive monument to Sir Thomas Wise of Sydenham (av) died 1629, described by Pevsner as "One of the most ambitious monuments in Devonshire". The monument is freestanding with 2 recmbent effigies on a Caen stone base on a plinth with 4 pairs of Corinthian columns supporting a coffered arch crowned with corner obelisks and armorial bearings. The soffit of the arch is decorated with cherubim in panels. Other members of the Wise family, freestanding, are positioned on the plinth, 2 three-quarter size kneeling figures face one another across a prie-dieu at the head of the monument and a small girl in an armchair and a baby in a cradle are on the south side. Some of the figures are not in their original positions. Some ancient colour survives. An achievement, probably originally part of the Wise monument is fixed to the west wall of the C19 addition, consisting of a helmet with a lion crest, and a pair of gauntlets. 1661 painted panel of the Royal Arms. Several C17 memorial slabs used as paving. Fixed to the exterior west wall of the church is a good slate memorial to Grace Hawkins, died 1704 and Edward Hawkins, died 1713. 2 oval inscription panels with cherubim and skulls and cross bones in the spandrels are divided by a central rectangular panel with flowers, hourglass and deathshead carved in relief. Fixed to the south wall of the chancel is a slate memorial to James Sergeant, died 1656 with an inscription and verse within a decorated border. The survival of C14 work in the chancel is unusual in the county, and the grandness of the Wise monument makes this an outstanding building. Pevsner, South Devon Devon Nineteenth century churches Project.

Listing NGR: SX4346882863

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

92412

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: South Devon, (1952)

End of official list entry

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