Description

PLYMOUTH

SX4754 CATHERINE STREET, Plymouth
740-1/57/356 (East side)
25/01/54 Church of St Andrew

GV I

Large parish church, the largest in Devon. Mid C15-late C15 on
older site; tower paid for by Thomas Yogge, a merchant, in
1460; John Dew, a mason, worked on the S aisle in 1481-82;
John Andrew worked on St Mary's aisle in 1481-82; some
restoration by John Foulston in 1826 and by Sir Gilbert Scott
in 1875; much damaged in the Blitz and restored 1949-57 by
Frederick Eschells. Plymouth limestone rubble walls with
granite dressings; dry slate roofs with coped gable ends.
PLAN: nave, chancel, N and S aisles, N and S chapels and
porches, W tower.
EXTERIOR: C15 windows with 1875 Perpendicular style tracery: E
end with 5-light windows to aisles and 6-light window to
chancel; similar W windows; angle buttresses; other aisle
windows with 4-light windows, all windows with hoodmoulds.
porches have pointed-arched doorways, the N porch with square
hoodmould and carved spandrels. 4-stage tower (136 feet high)
with offset corner buttresses; strings dividing stages;
embattled parapet with polygonal crocketed corner pinnacles.
4-centred arched N doorway; 2-light traceried windows to next
stage; clockfaces to stage above and 3-light louvred and
traceried windows to upper stage.
INTERIOR: 6-bay arcades between nave and aisles, 2 bays
between aisles and chapels and lower arcade of 3 bays between
chancel and aisles, all with standard A (Pevsner) type piers
and depressed arches; chancel arch; post-war waggon roofs.
FITTINGS: destroyed during Blitz. 1661 font found in garden;
post-war altar furnishings by Colin Shewring.
MONUMENTS: C12 or C13 monument with head on pillow; monument
to John Sparke and his wife 1635 with kneeling figures;
monument to Jane Barker, died 1769; bust by Chantrey 1829,
another to Mrs Risdew, died 1818, also by Chantrey; monument
to Dr Woolcombe, died 1822 by Westmacott with 2 standing
figures of Medicine and Charity, and various other monuments.
STAINED GLASS: E and W windows 1958 designed by John Piper and
made by Patrick Reyntiens.
HISTORY: just after the damage caused to this church during
1941, the word "RESURGAM" appeared above the N entrance and
flowers were planted inside. This simple act inspired the
people of Plymouth and raised their moral, and set their minds
on repairing the church once the war was over.

(The Buildings of England: Pevsner N: Devon: London: 1989-:
641-642; Power WJ: A Layman's View of Some Plymouth Churches:
1977-: 22).

Listing NGR: SX4792354396

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Plymouth Minster at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q7205831

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

• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Leeds, Bradford and the North (Pevsner Architectural Guides / Buildings of England)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  For the Record