Description

PARRACOMBE PARRACOMBE SS 64 SE 6/133 Christ Church - II Parish Church. Built on new site 1878 by W. Oliver, leaving the former parish church, St. Petrocks (q.v.), unrestored, on its old site away from the village. Snecked stone rubble with ashlar dressings. Slate roof with crested ridge tiles and apex crosses to the gable ends. West tower, nave chancel, north aisle and south porch. West tower of 3 stages. Set-back buttresses and embattled parapet, corner pinnacles with octagonal bases of alternating gabled round-arched and straight-headed niches reducing to elongated cone capping terminating in fleur-de-lys finials. Large pointed-arched bell- openings of 2 distinct lights with louvres on each face except north. Clock faces in segmental arched surrounds on south and west side. West window of 3 cusped headed lights with quatrefoil traceried head. Short gabled stair turret on north side with stepped triple lancet window to gable and two lancets to lower stage. South porch has gabled slate roof with crested ridge tiles. Moulded surround to 2- centred arched porch doorway with engaged columns supporting inner arch. Wrought iron lamp bracket to head of arch. 2-light lancet to each side wall of porch with segmental pointed inner arches. Collar rafter roof. Ogee-chamfered surround terminating in broach steps to pointed-arched inner doorway. Plank door with fleur-de-lys strap-hinges. 2 Decorated-style windows of 2 lights each and single light window to nave and chancel, south side with continuous ashlar sill band stepped up below the chancel window. Pointed-arched east window of 3 cusped headed lights and Decorated-style tracery with corbelled hoodmould and ashlar band at the springing level. North aisle composed of triple gable-ended transepts with pointed-arched 2 light windows with plate tracery and ashlar band at the springing level. Interior: moulded arch-braced roof to chancel and nave with heavy moulded purlins and stepped pointed-arched blind tracered panels above the collar to the east gable end truss. Collar rafter roofs to north aisle with short shaped timber wall posts, and corbels to the valleys. North arcade of 3 bays with piers of semi-circular half-shafts with moulded capitals. Segmental pointed tower arch and pointed chancel arch with engaged colonettes. Stone carving by Hems of Exeter including reredos of triple arches springing from short marble colonettes , a device repeated in dividing the shoulder- headed recesses of the double sedilia. Cusped-headed piscina on north wall. Maw tiles to chancel and patterned tiled floor to nave. C19 nave and chancel and patterned tiled floor to nave. C19 nave and chancel furniture. Semi-circular drum to stone pulpit fronted with 7 deep trefoil-headed blind niches. Octagonal bowl to font with blind tracery of 2 pointed arched panels to each facet on cylindical stem with 4 engaged colonnettes. Stained glass: east window by Dixon, in memory of Elizabeth Pyke. Chancel south window to Richard Middleton (d. 1872). Nave, south side, eastern window to Rev. Leakey, rector 1870 - 1881 and responsible for restoration by A.L. & C.E. Moore of London, and opposite, to north aisle to Rev. William Thompson and wife.

Listing NGR: SS6692244859

External Links

• Wikidata Q26462481

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Recommended Books

• 
  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Georgian Style and Design for Contemporary Living
• 
  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  For the Record