Description

LOOE

SX25NE ST MARTIN
857-1/1/55 Church of St Martin-by-Looe
19/03/51

GV I

Parish church. Norman north doorway, and much other fabric,
enlarged C13, C14 and C15, restored in 1882 and 1907.
MATERIALS: slatestone rubble walls with some granite and some
greenstone dressings; tower rendered (in 1882), retains render
only to lower stage; dry slate roofs; rendered stack to west
end (towards south) of south aisle.
PLAN: C12 nave, remodelled C15; C15 chancel possibly
incorporating earlier fabric; C13/C14 tower remodelled C15 and
C19; C15 south aisle in 2 phases incorporating earlier fabric;
C15 north and south transepts; shallow north porch 1882.
EXTERIOR: embattled buttressed tower is 3 stages with strings
dividing stages; stair tower to south-east corner with small
original slit windows. Rare C13/C14 freestone west doorway
with nook shafts; 3-light granite window over. Y-traceried
windows to upper stage; original round-headed light to west
end of south wall of nave, C15 windows to west and south walls
of south wall: all 3-light windows with cinquefoil lights and
square hoodmoulds; traceried west window and window left of
transept granite, the 2 earlier C15 windows right of transpet
blocked when monuments erected inside and wide buttress
between and on right. C15 chamfered pointed-arched south
doorway, with evidence of former porch, now partly buried by
churchyard.
South transept has blind west and east walk but evidence of
blocked former doorway to galleried former family pew to west
wall (also niche inside C15 south window with C19 restored
hoodmoulds and some tracery. East gable end of south aisle
mostly rebuilt C19 when 3-light window in Perpendicular style
was fitted but retaining 1612 elvan 4-centred-arched doorway
low down on right.
East gable end of chancel has C15 five-light window. North
wall of chancel shows evidence of successive refacing or
repair and has possibly C13 or C17 Gothic Survival chamfered
pointed-arched doorway with C19 planked door.
North transept has 3-light east window dated 1872 and 3-light
north window of similar date; west wall of transept with C15
outer frame but blocked.
North wall of nave has a Norman doorway of 4 orders of Tarton
Down stone (Church guide) with deep moulding and chevron and
dog-tooth ornament. This doorway is of exceptional quality and
interest and is set in a leaning north wall with buttresses
concealed within freestone ashlar porch with arch-braced open
gable. On either side of the porch is a C15 3-light window
with 4-centred arched lights, the right-hand window with C19
square hoodmould.
INTERIOR: plastered walls; C15 3-bay arcade with standard A
(Pevsner) granite piers between nave and south aisle and
earlier C15 2-bay arcade leaning to south and propped against
west wall of transept for lateral restraint at time of survey;
rood stair in soth-east corner of north transept; C15 waggon
roofs with carved wall plates.
FITTINGS: square Norman front, (or possibly later copy, church
guide), with the Tree of Life and panelled decoration,
standing on reused probable C12 arcade pier base which is on
square Norman font base with stoolings for corner shafts: 1612
Gothic Survial oak screen to chancel aisle and some oak bench
ends of similar date, reused as wall panels, all by father of
Walter Langdon (see monuments); late C18 or early C19 octgonal
Regency Gothic oak pulpit with pointed-arched panels, on
granite base; remains of C14 piscina to east wall of chancel;
C17 carved oak chair; oak lectern 1895; oak pews with carved
ends in C16 style of 1923-48, by Miss Violet Pinwell of
Plymouth; oak rood screen in late medieval style. 1934 to Mary
Quiller Couch, cousin of the writer, "Q," by Miss Pinwell.
MONUMENTS: resited (1907) slate grave slab to Philip Maiow, an
alderman and wealthy merchant of Looe who died 1590; large
polychrome marble aedicule on south wall of chancel aisle to
Walter Langdon (and his wife) who died 1676, plaster and
marble aedicule 1676 to north wall of chancel.
(The Buildings of England: Radcliffe E and Pevsner N:
Cornwall: 1970-: 187, 188).

Listing NGR: SX2599255032

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Church of St Martin by Looe at Wikipedia
• Church of St Martin by Looe official website
• Wikidata Q17529463

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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