Description

TEIGNGRACE TEIGNGRACE
SX 87 SW

7/231 Church of St Peter and St Paul
-
23.8.55
- II*

Parish church. Dedicated 1787 by James and George Templer Esq and Rev John Templer
Esq, vicar of Teigngrace, who demolished earlier church and rebuilt on site reusing
some granite as quoins. Restored in 1872. Roughly dressed lime-stone and rubble
with brick. Slate roofs with black glazed ridge tiles. West tower now without
spire, west door, symmetrical nave and chancel with equal north and south transept
and apse. Gothick 2 stage tower with angle buttresses and pronounced batter, set-
offs each surmounted with attached oblisks on cyma recta bases. Original 6 flush
panelled west door, (2 panels now glazed) in original surround of 3 clustered
shafts with moulded cornice all breaking forward with C20 softwood repairs.
Dedication stone on rendered panel above doorway. North and south C18 lunettes to
vestible with crown glass leaded lights to north. Above Gothick C19 chamnfered
frames with diamond leaded glazing to first floor under C18 dressed voussoirs,
except west window unchamfered C18 gothick frame with slated infill. 3 large
matching Gothick arched belfry louvres. C18 local brick crenellated parapet
oversailing on brick block modilions. 3 large 3 light Gothick timber windows with
intersecting tracery light the church on north and south sides, with C18 6 paned
bottom sliding sash, timber glazing bars and diamond leaded crown glass in each
pane under ashlar voussoirs. Stone sills. Gabled transcepts with round leaded
light in ashlar surround with original rose petal design. Apse with curved sides
and straightend has smaller oculus in dressed surround: above a brick crenellated
parapet. Small West door in north transcept C18 roll moulded architrave and C19
door.
Interior: Entrance vestibule in base of tower retains some C18 joinery, panelling,
door and coat pegs. Original access to floor above probably by ladder, replaced by
C19 staircase when also 4 octagonal elm posts with runout stops were introduced to
support load of repositioned organ (see below). Church of single cruciform space
with chaste Gothick ornament comprising nave and chancel with narrower south and
north transepts (the latter'probably the squires' pews, having a separate entrance
from the West. Sanctuary up 2 limestone steps (now obscured by C19 work) is in a
shallow flat-ended apse with, high up, a tiny round window in front of which is
fixed a large early C19 copy by James Barry R.A. of a Vandyke Pieta. Answering
this, at the west end of the nave, a deep gallery set back into the tower over the
vestibule. The ceilings are plaster vaults, ovoid in section over nave and chancel
(with ridge rib) but much steepened by narrower transepts. At the crossing, groin
ribs run up to a thick ring cornice with tiny outward-facing cherubim at the
cardinal points around a diminutive dome of 4 centred section. This is divided
into segments by 12 ribs meeting at an acanthus chandelier boss. C18 Tudor-arched
door from vestibule to nave has flush-panelled reveals and double doors with panels
inset on east face and covered with C19 studded red baise. Interesting C18 and
C19 door furniture. To either side clustered and banded slender columns with
polychrome marbling and from these small plaster demi-fan vaults spring to support
a balcony, the ballustrade of which is C19. West and east walls answer each other
in their decorative treatment : plain triple 4-centred arcading of 2 blind arches
and a central longer one over gallery and apse. There is a continuous cornice,
which ramps over the eastern oculus. Important C18 organ by Davis of London :
presumably it was set further forward originally, allowing a ringing chamber
behind. Gothick case grained to simulate mahogany, cross-banded and picked out in
gold, as are the show pipes : several stages of blind archading and a ramped
cornice. The central canted pipe group is carried on a plume corbel and rises
above the rest. On the north side 'E.S.B.' incised in serif letters. Although the
manuals have been replaced much early pipework remains. C18 or early C19 ladder to
belfry where there is a construction of 3 oak timbers braced down to sill level by
grown curved brackets and also 2 complete bells from earlier church, one with
inscription 'John Gifford Warden 1701' are hung in a C20 steel frame. At roof
level, some evidence of a vanished octagonal steeple. The floors have limestone
paviours including re-set C17 ledger slabs. C18 fittings include a hexagonal
limestone font with gadrooned bowl on hexagonal limestone balluster stem and the
box pew of the south transcept. A fine series of mural tablets, noteably those to
Charles Templer (d.1786) in polychrome marble with dolphins and a shipwreck scene;
to James Templer of Stover (q.v.) (d.1782) in polychrome marble with a veiled urn;
to his wife Mary (d.1784); and two by Coade and Sealy to James Templer (dated 1813)
and Capt. W Templer (dated 1805). One the south side of the west wall on Cenotaph
in marble and Coade stone with tiny gilt brass relief commemorating Nelson. Re-
ordering of 1872 includes pews, communion rail and gallery ballustrade. Also of
the late C19 are the pulpit, reader's desk and lecturn. There is a second font by
Caffin of Regent Street: octagonal bowl with relief panels of plants and heraldry
(inscription on step has a date 1892). Lancet windows to apse have unmatched
stained glass, that to the north c.1875 (inscription). Interesting C18
fenestration elsewhere with both timber glazing bars and original leading patterns
and much old clear glass. Despite late C19 alterations a well-preserved and
evocative C18 country church and a regionally early use of Gothick style.
References: W G Hoskins "Devon", 1954 (Pieta and date of C19 re-ordering). A J Key
"Stover, the storey of a school", 1982 (organ builder).

Listing NGR: SX8497673924

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17535296

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.

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