Description

LITTLE TORRINGTON LITTLE TORRINGTON
SS 41 NE
16/125 Church of St Giles
-
GV II*

Parish church. C15, restored 1852-8 by Rev. George de. C. Guille the rector at that
time. Stone rubble walls, rendered to the tower. Gable ended slate roofs.
Plan: Nave, south aisle and porch, west tower. The church appears entirely
Perpendicular in style, and was heavily restored in 1852-8 when the chancel was
enlarged and the north and south walls partly rebuilt. The tower was restored in
1898 when its screen and new oak stalls were put in.
Exterior: 3 stage west tower with diagonal buttresses, castellated parapets with
obelisk finials. 2 light belfry openings with 4-centred arches. C15 4-centred
arched west doorway with roll and hollow moulding and inscribed scroll stops. Slits
for stair on north side of tower. North wall of nave has 3 Perpendicular 2 and 3-
light red sandstone windows. Gabled C19 vestry projects from north end of chancel.
3-light restored Perpendicular east windows with carved headstops. C15 style
cinquefoiled restored light on south chancel wall. South aisle has Perpendicular
style restored red sandstone windows. Gabled south porch with C15 4-centred arched
doorway with roll moulding and early C19 panelled doors.
Interior: Medieval wagon roof to porch with moulded ribs, carved bosses and wall-
plates. South doorway has 4-centred chamfered rubble arch with contemporary heavy
studded plank door with cover stips. Internal walls have C20 render apart from
stencil decoration to chancel walls.
4 bay arcade to Pevsner A-type piers with various religious devices carved on
capitals. Moulded 4-centred arches. Tall 4-centred double chamfered tower arch.
The pulpit dates from the restoration but incorporates older carving reputedly from
the old rood screen. Roofs have been entirely restored but copied from originals.
Norman front of subdivided cushion shape on C15 stem with colonnetes at corners.
Good memorial on north wall of white marble to Henry Stevens of Cross (q.v.) who died
1802. Above the inscribed plaque is a bas relief of a mourning woman in classical
robes leaning over a sarcophagas. There are various other early-mid C17 marble
memorials mainly to members of the Stevens family.
Sources: Kelly's Directory 1906 ; Churches in the Deanery of Torrington - Brixton
Cresswell.

Listing NGR: SS4910116851

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17536443

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.

Recommended Books

• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version
• 
  [(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)
• 
  The Victorian House Manual (2nd Edition): How They Were Built, Improvements & Refurbishment, Solutions to All Common Defects - Includes Relevant ... ... Properties (Haynes Manual) (Haynes Manuals)
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments