Description

CLYST HYDON
ST 00 SW
2/17 Church of St Andrew
30.6.61
GV I

Parish church. C15, renovated 1885 - 86 with new north aisle. The C15 work is
coursed blocks of volcanic trap with some red sandstone and has Beerstone ashlar
detail; the 1885-6 work is snecked red sandstone with Bathstone ashlar detail;
slate roof.
Plan: nave and chancel with north and south aisles (neither are quite full length),
south porch and west tower.
Exterior: west tower of 2 stages with set-back buttresses and embattled parapet
with corner pinnacles. On the north side is a semi-hexagonal stair turret with an
external doorway. The belfry windows have Flamboyant tracery; they are very
weathered and therefore maybe C15. The tower west doorway is a 2-centred arch with
moulded surround and hoodmould. The window above is missing its tracery and
mullions. The south aisle is C15; it has set-back buttresses and an embattled
parapet over a moulded eaves cornice which includes carved gargoyles at intervals.
The south porch is left of centre. It too has set back-buttresses and an embattled
parapet but here the merlins are pierced by quatrefoils. The outer arch is a
depressed 4-centred arch with a moulded surround and hood which includes a carved
angel holding armorial bearings at the apex. The porch roof is a Beerstone fan
vault with cusped panels and central carved boss featuring a Tudor Rose. The south
doorway is a 2-centred arch with moulded surround and contains C19 double doors in
Gothic style. There are 4 windows on the south side; one to left of the porch and 3
to right. All are 3 lights and have depressed 4-centred arch heads and contain
Perpendicular tracery and there are similar 3-light windows each end. The break
between nave and chancel (or aisle and south chapel) is marked by a projecting semi-
octagonal rood stair turret which rises above the aisle parapet and has its own
embattled parapet. Alongside to right is a small priest's doorway. The chancel
east window was rebuilt in the C19; it is 3 lights with Flamboyant tracery and
hoodmould. The C19 north aisle has 4-light windows with Flamboyant tracery each end
and on the north side three 3-light windows with cusped Y-tracery.
Interior: the nave, north and south aisles, chancel and tower have ceiled wagon
roofs with moulded ribs and purlins and carved oak bosses. All are painted and
therefore it is not possible to determine if any is C15; certainly the north aisle
and tower roofs are C19. Tall plain tower arch. C19 chancel arch has a moulded
surround springing from moulded land carved corbels. The south aisle has a C15
Beerstone 4-bay arcade (1 overlapping the chancel). The piers are moulded
Pevsners's type A) and have carved capitals. The north aisle has a C19 5-bay arcade
(with 2 overlapping the chancel) in the same style as the south arcade. In the
south aisle there is a small Beerstone doorway with a segmental head and moulded
surround to the rood stair which is still open. The walls are plastered and the
floor is stone flags including some C18 grave slabs.
Most of the furniture and fittings are C19. The altar is flanked by Gothic style
boards painted with the text of the Lords Prayer. C19 oak altar rail on wrought
iron standards. No stalls as such. The plain pine lectern is probably C20. C19
oak pulpit with octagonal drum with Gothic style enrichment. The nave and aisles
have oak box pews, the best made (or remade) with fielded panelling. It is an
interesting sociological point that the pulpit can only be gained through the
squire's (or Huish family) pew. The Beerstone font is of indeterminate date but is
probably C19. It has an unembellished octagonal bowl on a plain octagonal stem.
The ogee oak font cover is C17.
The chancel contains a good group of marble mural memorials mostly in memory of
members of the Huish family. The oldest is dated 1633 and the best is on the north
side and dated 1764. The south aisle has painted Commandment boards. The nave and
aisles contain C19 wrought iron lamp brackets. There is some good C19 glass here.
The East window is signed E. Baillie, London, 1850, and instead of the usual
Biblical scene it has the Huish arms. The glass is particularly impressive in the
mouchettes of the Flamboyant tracery.

Listing NGR: ST0354401682

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17526025

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

• 
  Farrow & Ball How to Decorate: Transform your home with paint & paper
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version
• 
  London 1: The City of London: City of London v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback