Description

SO 8202-8302 WOODCHESTER CHURCH ROAD (east side), North Woodchester

16/211 Church of St. Mary

GV II*

Parish church. 1863-4 by S.S. Teulon for 2nd Earl of Ducie. Ashlar limestone; stone slate roof. Nave with north aisle; south porch and tower with spire; chancel with south vestry and organ loft. Boldly positioned angle buttressed tower with porch on west side in form of lean-to. Moulded pointed south porch arch with attached sandstone shafts and foliage capitals; C20 inserted lobby screen. Pointed arched arcade with sandstone shafts to main and rere arches on west side of porch. Three-stage tower with geometrical tracery to main south window, 2 lancets to each face of 2nd stage and traceried belfry openings with stone louvres. Octagonal stair turret set at centre of east side of tower rises 2 stages with coped top. Slightly machicolated eaves below elegant broach spire with lucarnes to cardinal faces and small pierced quatrefoil spire vents. Offset buttressed nave and north aisle walls with geometrical tracery to all windows. Large 5-light east and west windows with geometrical tracery; boldly moulded west doorway with attached sandstone shafts. Vestry and organ loft project over falling gradient with undercroft below. Various features give this a strong impact when viewed from east: typical Teulon south-facing rose window with row of sandstone-shafted lancets below; small gable on east side with shafted lights below. Interior: ashlar-faced, all rere arches having alternating light and dark stone voussoirs. Five-bay north arcade has circular piers each with 4 attached shafts and combined capitals deeply undercut with foliage carving. Pointed tower arch now partially blocked. Five-bay nave hammerbeam roof. Wide moulded chancel arch supported on triple sandstone shafts with large base corbels. Two-bay arched braced collar truss chancel roof with central double truss; corbels depict angels with musical instruments. Tiled chancel floor concealed by C20 floor levelling. Last Supper illustrated on tiled reredos. Delicate tracery carving to timber chancel screen. Unusual C19 timber pulpit by Teulon on stone base; C19 pews. Best monuments re-set from old church in tower and at west end of nave: recumbent effigies of Sir George Huntly, died 1622, and Eleanor Wynter, his wife set on chest tomb in tower; also Baroque pedimented tablet to Robert Bridges, died 1722. Two fine monuments with obelisk background set either side of west window, left with urn and mourner to EDWARD PEACH, died 1770, by Thomas Paty; right with putti flanking bust above sarcophagus tablet to NATHANIEL PEACH, died 1719 by Ricketts. Stained glass: earliest windows by Saunders, probably the west, possibly east also. Windows in south nave wall by Preedy, Lavers and Barraud. Aisle windows with clear glass have Teulon's decorative caming. The most restfully composed of Teulon's Cotswold churches, replaced earlier church of which the chancel arch and part of north wall remain (q.v.). (M. Saunders, The Churches of S.S. Teulon, 1982; and D. Verey, Gloucestershire: The Cotswolds, 1979.)

Listing NGR: SO8397902670

External Links

• Wikidata Q17537819

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Recommended Books

• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  For the Record
• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)