Description

DARTINGTON SX7862-SX7962 ASHBURTON ROAD 12/108 Church of St Mary 9.2.61

GV II*

Parish church. 1878-80 by J L Pearson, reusing some material from the medieval church. Snecked grey limestone ashlar with Bathstone dressings. Slate roofs. Plan: Nave, north and south aisles and chancel under one roof; west tower; south porch with chamber over and vestry on the north side of the chancel in the angle with the north aisle Perpendicular style. All of one build 1878-90 but incorporating some reused material from the medieval church which was demolished in 1873 except for the tower (qv) which is situated immediately to the west of Dartington Hall (qv). The reused material includes the following:- the vaulting of the south porch, parts of the porch doorway, the south doorway and door, the parapet copings, tracery in the south corridor of the chancel and the window in the east end of the south aisle; possibly also the doorways to the rood stairs; the reused furnishings include the font and the rood screen which was much restored when re-erected as was the pulpit. Exterior: The north and south aisles have embattled parapets with reused granite moulded coping, buttresses with set-offs and large 4-light Perpendicular style 2-centred arch windows. The 3-light window at the east end of the south aisle has reused late C14 decorated star tracery. Both the north and south aisles have octagonal rood stair turrets with battlements and short crocheted spires. The south aisle has a 2-storey porch with diagonal buttresses and moulded doorway with quatrefoils and mouchettes in the spandrels; the jambs and parts of the hoodmould are reused material; 2-light lancet to the chamber above the porch. In the angle on the west side of the porch a polygonal stair turret, to the chamber above, with battlements which continue around the porch parapet. the chancel has taller panelled parapets with crocheted pinnacles at the east gable end rising from the set-back buttresses; the east gable apex has a canopied niche with short pinnacles, and a cross above, containing the figure of the Virgin Mary and Christ. At the corners of the chancel are gargoyles. 5-light Perpendicular style traceried east window and 4-light Perpendicular traceried north and south windows of the chancel; the south window has reused C15 panel tracery. The low vestry on the north side of the chancel has a flat roof and straight-headed traceried windows. West Tower: in 2 storeys with diagonal buttresses, panelled frieze with quatrefoils at the first stage level; large bell openings with reticulared tracery quatrefoil louvres, pinnacled ogee arches, tall panelled embattled parapet with large crocheted pinnacles and gargoyles at the corners and pinnacles on each side; niche on side containing statue of Hems of Exeter; 4-light Perpendicular style west window; polygonal stair turret on the north side of tower with panelled battlements; the stair turret rises only up to the belfry. The tower has a deep moulded plinth, its base moulding is continued around the aisles, porch and the chancel, but at the chancel it is only the base moulding again to a deeper plinth. Interior: the south porch has C15 star vault from the medieval church, with moulded tiercerons and ribs which spring from an gel corbels and have carved bosses at the intersections. The south doorway has a reused moulded arch and reused door with carved cover moulds and traces of colour. Rendered internal walls. 5-bay north and south arcades with deeply moulded tall 2-centred arches on piers with clustered shafts with moulded capitals and bases. Tall tower arch with deep mouldings and respond shaft with keel moulding. The nave roof continues over the chancel and has windbraces, hammerbeams on stone corbels, the hammerbeam truss over the rood screen is coupled to form a ceilure. The aisle roofs are lean-tos with arched bracing on corbels. The piscina and sedilia are built into the low cill of the south window of the chancel. The moulded doorways to the rood stairs are probably reused from the medieval church. Fine C15 rood screen from the medieval church much rebuild in 1913 by Hems of Exeter. The octagonal carved wooden pulpit also re-erected from the old church. The seating is entirely late C19 or early C20, with panelled bench ends; the choir stalls have ends with carved leaves. The altar from the old church was installed in 1838 by Archdeacon Froude and is made from timber from Dartington Halls's hall roof. The wrought iron altar rails and reredos are 1909. The font is probably C15 with octagonal Beerstone stem with panelled sides and later plain octagonal granite bowl. The tower screen is circa 1911 to 1913 but incorporates C18 wooden balusters. The bells were cast in 1880 and the clock was erected in 1893. Stained glass east window by Clayton and Bell.

Listing NGR: SX7853862654

External Links

• Church of St Mary official website
• Wikidata Q17533945

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

• 
  Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period property manual, victorian house manual 2 books collection set by ian rock
• 
  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Liverpool: Pevsner City Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)