Description

WHITELACKINGTON CP -
ST3715
7/133 Church of St Mary the Virgin
(formerly listed as Church of St.
Mary)
4.2.58

GV II*

Anglican Parish Church. C14 and C15. Ham stone, some rubble but mostly ashlar work; Welsh slate roofs with stone ridges
between coped gables, with lead sheet roof to south aisle. Six-unit plan of 2-bay chancel,4-bay nave, north and south
aisles, with north porch and west tower. Chancel probably C15, with plinth, angled corner buttresses; 3-light
pointed-arched east window with Perpendicular tracery set in shallow moulded recess; to north and south sides are two
2-light late C15 flat-arched windows with cinquefoil cusped lights, incised spandrils, no labels; with narrow
pointed-arched doorway between north windows. North transept of early C14; angled corner buttresses; blocked
pointed-arched doorway on east side; 3-light Geometric traceried window in north gable and thin lancet to west return.
South transept also early C14; pairs corner buttresses; single lancet in east wall; fine Geometric-traceried 3-light
south window; plain to west, but with corbel carving to kneeler stone. South aisle C15; plinth, string course with
gargoyles, battlemented parapets; two 3-light C15 traceried windows in hollowed pointed-arched recesses, between them a
blocked pointed-arched doorway; no window in west wall. North aisle is narrower, under a continuation of the main roof,
probably of C15; plinth; two windows matching south aisle, the east 2-light and the west 3-light: between the north
porch which has a moulded pointed outer arch, with inner arch to match, bench seats and a C19 roof. Tower in 4 stages,
C15; double plinth, angled corner buttresses to full height, but with taller octagonal-plan stair turret to north-west
corner; string courses, battlemented parapet: west face has a 4-centre-arched doorway in rectangular hollowed recess,
with foliated spandrils, and square-stop label over; west window above of 4-light sub- arcuated C15 tracery, in hollow
arched recess with square-stop label protruding into second stage; to south side stage 3 a 3-light window to match, and
to stage 4 all faces are similar 3-light windows with ornamental pierced stone baffles. Interior not accessible, but
reported are rere-arches to the transept windows, that to the north transept having side shafts to jambs; arcades of
4-column shafts with hollows, thin piers and wide arches, no clerestorey. Fittings include C14 piscina with shelf in
north transept, and in the east wall there is a richly decorated statue niche; the remainder presumably C19, Monuments
include two defaced effigies on floor of south transept, a civilian of c1350 and a knight in ardour of c1375; tomb of
Sir George Speke, died 1583 but tomb made possibly as much as 25 years earlier, in flamboyant Perpendicular rather than
Renaissance, tomb chest with shields, polygonal side shafts with twisted chimney-like finials, with similar finial to
crown of 4-centred arch, which is panelled with pendants, pierced tracery side panels, and decorated shield to rear:
also monument to John Hanning died 1807 by J.Richards of Exeter, with figure of kneeling woman by an urn. East window
by Kempe, 1896. (Pevsner, N, Buildings of England, South and Test Somerset, 1958).

Listing NGR: ST3795615268

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Church of St Mary the Virgin, Whitelackington at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q17553889

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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