Description

ALWINGTON
SS42SW
6/37 Church of St. Andrew
(20.2.58)
GV. I
Anglican parish church. C15; south aisle rebuilt in C17; some
restoration in 1883. Granite ashlar; coursed slatestone rubble
to north walls; late C19 gabled and stone-coped slate roof with
C15 head carvings to kneelers of chancel and south aisle. Plan
of chancel with north vestry, nave with north transept;
continuous south aisle with south porch; west tower. Chancel has
hoodmould with head stops over 3-light Perpendicular east window
with cinquefoiled heads and panel tracery; late C15 two-light
square headed window to south; vestry to north has C15 iron
grille set in square window with chamfered head and jamb, above
label mould over C15 two-light square-headed window with
cinquefoiled heads; label mould over C15 three-light
cinquefoil-headed window in north chancel. South aisle: hood
moulds with square stops over Perpendicular-style three-light
windows with panel tracery in east and west gables; 4-bay south
wall has label moulds over C17 three-light mullioned windows; C17
panelled and studded door with chamfered wood architrave with
similar crosses carved in spandrels. South porch: hood mould over
C15 basket-arched moulded doorway; similar architrave surrounds
mid. C19 panelled door with C15 traceried head, C15 sanctuary
knocker, C17 clasping ring on heart-shaped back plate and
heart-shaped lock surround, and C15 barrel lock and framing to
rear left. North transept has blocked window to east, and hood
mould over C15 three-light Perpendicular window with panel
tracery; north window had mullions and jambs replaced in 1862.
North wall of nave has two C15 three-light square-headed windows
with cinquefoiled heads and C19 sills. Fine 3-stage tower has
offset and full-height setback corner buttresses, and string
courses: hood mould over 3-light Perpendicular window with panel
tracery above hood mould over moulded basket-arched doorway; slit
lights to north-east stair turret; hood moulds over cinquefoiled
second-stage lights with stone louvres; to belfry are hood moulds
over 2-light Y-tracery windows with trefoiled heads; crouching
gargoyles at corners of crenellated parapet, which has crocketed
finials to pinnacles. Interior: plaster scraped off walls in
1883. Reredos of c. 1805 has painted panels of SS. Peter and
Andrew and much reused C16 and C17 carved panelling, said to have
been brought from Parkham Church (q.v). Late C15 waggon roofs to
nave and chancel, with moulded ribs and foliate-carved bosses.
5-bay C15 nave arcade has depressed arches set on the usual
quatrefoil piers of monolithic granite with stepped cornices.
North transept has late C18 crocketed hood mould with head stops
above north window and C15 square relief showing mermaid.
Fittings: Gothic-style altar rail of c. 1790; choir stalls and
reading desk installed 1904-5; eagle lectern installed 1903. C16
benches (a rare survival) with carved tracery etc and one dated
1580; two bench fronts are carved with late C16 arabesques. The
local wood-carver Reuben Arnold made, between 1906 and 1927, the
lectern, tower screen, choir stalls, and pews carved with Old and
New Testament Scenes. C19 bier in north transept. Font has C15
octagonal top set on C13 stem. South aisle has two rows of late
C18 box pews next to the pulpit, made in 1792 from reused C16
carved bench ends; slim Perpendicular-style columns support the
sounding board which has carved sides and crocketed pinnacles.
King's Arms placed in 1814 on west wall of south aisle. C19
Pine-Coffin family pew at east end of south aisle is made from
Jacobean balusters, cartouche panels, caryatids, strapwork tops
and other wood carvings brought from Portledge Hall (q.v.).
Monuments: Chancel has lozenge-shaped tablet to George Blake, d.
1763, C19 marble tablets and late C19/early C20 brasses to
Pine-Coffin family (of Portledge House). North transept has
obelisk-shaped monument to Charlotte Morrison, d. 1791, her
daughter and husband; monument to Rev. Thomas Hooper Morrison, d.
1824, has rectangular mon-axial tablet with palm fronds and
heraldic shield flanked by scrolled brackets with carved
festoons; plain tablets to Eleanor Morrison, d. 1841, and Dora
Hammett, d. 1885. South aisle has memorial to John Meddon, d.
1775, with draped urn and inscription panels set on oval mount;
monument to Richard Coffin, d. 1617, and his wife, d. 1651, was
erected by their sole surviving son, James, in 1651: it has an
heraldic achievement set in a broken segmental pediment above two
coloured demi-figures in relief and holding hands, above 15
children and slate inscription. C17-18 ledger stones and
Barnstaple tiles on aisle floors. Stained glass: east window
dated 1863; north transept window dated 1861; north chancel
window dated 1868; fine Resurrection window dated 1871 to west
window. South aisle has fragments of C16 armorial glass in heads
of east window, and old leaded cames with diamond-shaped leaded
lights to central windows.
(Buildings of England: North Devon, p. 39; National Monuments
Record; full description of monuments in Richard Polwhele, The
History of Devonshire, 1806, Vol. 3, pp. 421-3).

Listing NGR: SS4047123159

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17527471

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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