Description

STOKE CANON HIGH STREET
SX 99 NW
3/41 The Parish Church of St Mary
30.6.61 Magdalene
GV I
Parish church. Late C15 west tower, the remainder of 1835-6 by Mason, comprising
nave, south porch and chancel. Coursed stone. West tower, tall with very slender
proportions, a rather extreme form of a local characteristic. 2 stages, tall
plinth the string course of which forms the west doorway hood mould. North semi-
octagonal stair turret takes up half the side elevation. Corner buttresses with 3
off-sets; 4-light Perpendicular west window with traces. 2-light belfry openings,
trefoil-headed with quatrefoil moulded battlements with pinnacle stollings.
Mason's church is typical of its date, a tall battlemented preaching box with a
shallow chancel. 3 wide bays to nave with 3-light Perpendicular style windows
separated by buttresses twice weathers. Porch set dead centre of south side. East
window might retain medieval work. Internally: tower arch, 2 orders, responds with
wave moulding. Nave, 5 bays, heavy moulded wooden tie-beams and collars with large
cusping. The best part of the 1820s work is the chancel panelling; arcade of
pointed, cusped bays divided by buttresses, with battlemented cornice, all in South
Devon limestone. The east bays contain commandment panels, and a central painting
of Christ Crowned with Thorns by King of Bristol (1841). Fittings: exceptionally
interesting Norman font. Circular bowl with 4 attached (much defaced) shafts
supported by caryatids (or atlantes) who grip a cable moulding that divides bowl
and shaft. Exposed faces of bowl with varied interlacing designs that are strongly
pre-Norman in feel. Attached to shaft (between the caryatids) stand 4 figures, 1
(to north) holding a book, another (to west) a staff. A substantial number of
medieval bench ends and bench backs, the rest by Edward Ashworth (1875). Semi-
octagonal pulpit, wooden, Jacobean with arched panels and fluted muntins. South
wall: monument to Elizabeth Paterson, died 1650. Corinthian colums to either side
of epitaph, with heraldic device above. It appears to have lost its entablature.
North wall: monument to Samuel Hall, not dated, C17, architrave and entablature,
with putti faces and heraldic crest. Some 1830 fragments of painted glass in west
window. Belfry not inspected.
Sources: Pevsner, SO, 271; Devon C19 Churches Project; re font in TDA, 45 (1913)

Listing NGR: SX9396098017

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17524685

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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