Church of St Mary

Details

SX 86 NE ABBOTSKERSWELL ABBOTSKERSWELL 3/3 Church of St Mary 23.8.55 GV II* Parish Church. C13 fabric to chancel; nave, aisle and tower C15, restored by Butterfield in 1881-3. Limestone/red sandstone rubble walls with granite, red sandstone, Bathstone and Beerstone dressings. Gable ended slate roofs to chancel, nave, aisle and porch. C13 chancel. In C15 the nave was rebuilt and the south aisle and chapel and west tower were added. In 1881-3 the Church was heavily restored and the south porch rebuilt by Butterfield. 3-stage battlemented west tower with chamfered plinth and diagonal buttresses. Central pentagonal stair turret on south side which has 2 arched slit openings, one square-headed at the top. Arched heads to 2-light belfry openings, 1-light beside stair turret. West doorway has original granite 4-centred arched frame, chamfered, with scratch moulding on its face. Worn limestone arched architrave. Restored 4-light west window with Perpendicular tracery. All 4 windows on north aisle are restored the outer 2 in Bathstone, the centre 2 in Beerstone. 2-light restored west window to aisle in Bathstone. Aisle has intermediate and diagonal buttresses. Both east windows are 3-light C19 restorations in Bathstone. chancel is unbuttressed without plinth. In the north wall is a single light C13 lancet with chamfered red sandstone frame. On south wall of chancel at east end is C15 volcanic stone 3-light Perpendicular window with chamfered mullions and hoodmoulds. To its left is C15 priest's door with 4-centred arched chamfered frame in red sandstone blocks. To the west of it is late C15/early C16 3-light granite mullion window with 4-centred hoodmould. Beyond it is demi- hexagonal rood stair turret. The nave has another C15 Perpendicular 3-light window, this one in granite with moulded mullions and frame. To the left is C19 restored Perpendicular window in Bath stone. Nave and aisle have no discernible plinth. The south porch was considerably restored in C19 and neither of the Beerstone arched doorways appear to be original. It has offset buttresses with quatrefoil decoration above outer doorway and incorporate some older pieces of carved stone to either side and above which are possibly armorial bearings. Interior: 4 bay arcade of granite Pevsner Type A piers to north side with Beer stone foliage capitals and moulded 4-centred arches. Rendered tower arch with semi- circular head and chamfered imposts. Blocked limestone arched doorway to right of south doorway suggests that there was formerly a 2-storeyed porch to whose stairs this originally led. In east wall of north chapel is piscina with semi-circular arched opening and surviving drain. Piscina in south wall of chancel has very worn arched surround. Built into the south chancel window is badly mutilated worn larger than life-size medieval statue of the Virgin Mary which was discovered during the restoration. C15 rood screen, partially restored, extends across nave and aisle with the coving replaced by flat plain panels. Pevsner type A tracery with running vine motif to cornice. Circa early C16 parclose screen, also partially restored; castellated with Tudor arch to doorway. The wagon roofs are all late C19 reconstructions. Plain octagonal C15 granite font. On the tower floor is ledger-stone dated 1725 to John Wotton.

Listing NGR: SX8560068753

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

84707

Legacy System:

LBS

End of official list entry

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