Description

NORTH TAMERTON
SX 39 Nbl
8/26 Church of St Denis
29.9.61
GV I

Parish church. Early C15. Restored in 1875 when chancel was rebuilt and north
vestry added. Stone rubble with granite freestone dressings. Comprising nave,
chancel, south aisle, south porch, west tower and north vestry. Nave and chancel
in one and full length south aisle. Chancel appears to be entirely rebuilt
(straight joints at east end and north side, and absence of plinth moulding unlike
remainder of church). On north side of chancel reused window, probably from west
end of north side of nave. C19 chancel east window of 5-lights with Perpendicular
style tracery. The nave and south aisle have flush granite bands at sill and arch
springing levels and hollow chamfered plinth moulding and eaves. 2 nave north
windows and 1 north chancel window with straight heads with carved label stops and
cusped heads to lights. Polygonal ashlar rood stair turret on north side of nave.
Four south windows and west window of south aisle of 3-lights with
rectilinear/Perpendicular tracery and pointed arches. The east window of south
aisle has Perpendicular Tracery with intersecting bars. Four-centre arch south
doorway with roll-mould between 2 chamfers. South porch with hollow chamfer and
roll-moulded pointed arch, sunken spandrels and label. Porch has ceiled wagon roof
with carved running foliage ribs and wall plate and carved bosses. Holy water
stoup. Slate sundial in gable of porch dated 1828. Fine tall unbuttressed west
tower in 3 stages with slight batter. Weathered string courses and moulded cornice
below embattled parapet and large octagonal crenellated pinnacles with crockets.
Moulded plinth with deep frieze of panels containing roundels with mouchettes,
trefoils, quatrefoils, Star of David etc. Bell-openings with blind tracery, 3
cusped lights, colonnettes and slate louvres. Moulded west doorway with
quatrefoils in spandrels and label, and with 3-light west window above with
Perpendicular rectilinear tracery. Internal tower stairs with loops on north-west
corner. Late C19 vestry on west end of north side of nave. Interior: 5-bay south
arcade with monolithic granite piers of Cornish standard A-type (Pevsner) with
moulded capitals and bases and wide moulded 4-centred arches. Tall moulded tower
arch with standard A-type (Pevsner) responds, and chamfered ogee doorway to tower
stairs. Plain unmoulded granite rear arches. Restored nave roof of unceiled
barrel (plaster removed) with arch braces to collars. Wooden chancel arch with old
carved pieces applied. Late C19 unceiled wagon roof to chancel with carved bosses.
C15 ceiled wagon roof to south aisle with moulded ribs, carved bosses and carved
running vine wall plate. Rood stair door to rood loft blocked and screen removed.
Small simple round arch piscina in south wall of chancel and another simple pointed
arch piscina on south side of south aisle. Circa early C16 carved bench ends,
reused in C19 benches, 2 in choir stalls have carved animals on top. Circa C17
Hexagonal carved wooden pulpit. C12 font with rough round bowl and later stem.
Late C19 glazed tile reredos and wrought iron altar rail. Some late C19 and early
C20 stained glass. Small brass at east end of south wall of aisle to Leonard
Loves, died 1576 of Ogbeare Hall, North Tamerton, q.v. Interior of bell chamber
not inspected. Decoratively carved and inscribed slate to Walter Robins, died
1706, at east end of south side of aisle.

Listing NGR: SX3119697329

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17529241

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

• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Liverpool: Pevsner City Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  For the Record
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)