Description

DARTMOUTH

SX8850 DARTMOUTH CASTLE 673-1/7/7 Church of St Petrox 14/09/49

GV I

Parish church. Probably late C12 origins (Norman font), rebuilt and enlarged in 1641 (date plaque). Local limestone and slatestone rubble, mostly roughcast but exposed on west end and tower; freestone detail; slate roof with crested ridge tiles. PLAN: Uninterrupted nave and chancel with full-length north and south aisles, west tower, and small lean-to heated vestry against west end of the south aisle. EXTERIOR: Vaguely Perpendicular in style. Tower of 2 stages with low offset buttresses, stair tower projecting from south side to embattled parapet, arch-headed belfry windows and tiny lancets to the ringing floor, 4-light west window and blocked Tudor-arch doorway in the north side. Main doorway in west end of north aisle, another Tudor-arch doorway under a very weathered plaque from which only the 41 of the 1641 date is legible. Panelled door, like those on the south side, appears to be C19 but reusing older ferramenta. Window above has plain mullions from a repair (another similar at east end of south aisle). North side has 2 raking buttresses and a window each end, and south side has 3 windows to right of the vestry; all arch-headed mullioned-and-transomed 3-light without hoodmoulds, with Tudor arch-headed lights. Larger 4-light version at east end of north aisle. East window of chancel has intersecting tracery. INTERIOR: Uninterrupted nave and chancel. 4-bay arcades to aisles on octagonal piers with plain moulded capitals. Plain plastered barrel-vaulted ceilings. Tall plain tower arch and large beams to the ringing floor. Tower walls of exposed stone, the rest are plastered. Tower floor is an attractive chequer pattern of red, black and cream tiles. Rest of the church has a stone flag floor including good graveslabs and brasses at chancel end (see memorials). FITTINGS: C20 altar table and communion rail. Good C17 oak pulpit - octagonal with panelled sides and dated 1641. Plain C19 pine benches. West end of south aisle screened off by a partition made up from pieces of C17 panelling, enriched with guilloche, strapwork, cherubs, leafy scrolls, etc: these fragments are probably from the C17 gallery (dismantled in 1885) as are the panelled sections of the gallery frontal with similar ornament set in the tower and now used to commemorate those parishioners who died in both World Wars. Good Norman red sandstone font - circular stem and bowl with frieze of palmette decoration. Painted arms of Charles II from 1660 on south wall. North wall has painted boards recording charitable bequests; the largest dated 1677, others from 1823 and 1841. An arcade of round-headed boards at west end of the south aisle from former reredos has taller outer boards painted with the Lords Prayer and the Creed with biblical quotations between. MEMORIALS: two C18 funeral hatchments of the Holdsworth family. Floor includes good collection of mostly C17 and C18 ledger stones, many of them for members of the Newman and Holdsworth families. A row of 3 good brasses to right of the altar - best one in memory of John Roope (died 1609), others to Dorothy Rous (died 1617) and Barbara Plumleigh (died 1610). Best, if somewhat worn, mural monument is reset at east end of south aisle, to Edward Roope (died 1683) - oval plaque with bayleaf frame, pulvinated frieze on Corinthian columns over carved console brackets. Each aisle has a similar small, delicately carved and pedimented plaque, one to Nicholas Roope (died 1625), the other to Margaret Plumleigh (died 1638). GLASS: All late C19 and early C20 dates, but probably including earlier glass. Mostly plain patterns of leaded glass with coats of arms but stained glass from 1927 in east window. The church forms part of an important group of listed buildings at the mouth of the Dart estuary. The church probably originated as a light positioned at the harbour entrance. Scheduled Ancient Monument. (Russell, Percy: The Story of St Petrox Church - church guide).

Listing NGR: SX8865150320

External Links

• Wikidata Q17527165

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