Description

SY 09 SW FARRINGDON FARRINGDON

3/40 Church of St Petrock and
- St Barnabus

GV II*

Parish church. Norman font. Otherwise church a complete rebuild of 1870 by William
White. Built of local stone rubble including a great deal of red conglomerate stone
and red sandstone and faced internally with brick; similar ashlar detail throughout
making use of contrasting colours of purple volcanic stone, cream Beerstone and
yellow Hamstone; red tile roof with crested ridgetiles, shingles to the spire.
The church comprises a nave with lower and narrower chancel. The way in which the
part of the nave is thrown southwards suggests that existing foundations were used.
It was given a north transept and a shallow north aisle with another aisle off the
chancel used as a vestry. Also a west tower and south porch. Early Decorated style
throughout. Being one building phase the style is consistent. For instance, the
windows all have sides of alternate blocks of cream-coloured Beerstone and purple
volcanic ashlar with Hamstone ashlar tracery.
The tower is relatively small, 2 stages, unbuttressed, with a splay-footed spire
surmounted by a brass weather cock. The belfry has large 2-light rectangular belfry
windows with broad brick mullions on the east and west sides only. The lights are
louvred. There is no stair turret (only an internal iron ladder). The west side
has a trefoil-headed lancet with hoodmould and a tiny rectangular light to the
ringing loft. There are lancets to the ringing loft on the north and south sides.
The south side of the nave projects slightly from the tower and this corner is
surmounted by a large and obvious chimney shaft of,volcanic ashlar with chamfered
corners and weathered offsets. There is a trefoil-headed lancet with hoodmould
between this corner and the porch. It is a gabled porch with Hamstone coping and
fleuree apex cross (indeed all the gables are similar except that the north transept
has an Iona apex cross). The outer segmental pointed arch has a double chamfered
arch ring internally and externally. To right of the porch the nave projects
forward a little and includes 2 windows, a 4-light to left and 3-light to right with
different Early Decorated style tracery. There is a large buttress of dressed
conglomerate stone at the right end. The buttress and chancel have a sandstone
chamfered plinth. The south side of the chancel has 2 double lancet windows with a
narrow priests door with 2-centred arch head and a buttress of dressed conglomerate
stone between. The east end has similar flanking diagonal buttresses, the south one
containing a limestone date plaque inscribed 1870. The east end has 3 more trefoil-
headed lancets, the centre one a little taller than the others. On the north side
the vestry and aisle are under a continued roof although the pitch is lessened over
them. In the vestry is a small 2-light arch-headed window in the east end and on
the north side a rectangular light to left and twin lancet to right. The gable end
of the transept has an arch-headed 2-light window with moulded hood ending in labels
carved as human heads, and the north aisle has 2 more trefoil-headed lancets and
another in the west end.
Interior: porch has a C19 roof and contemporary tiled floor around reset very worn
probably C17 graveslabs. The south doorway is volcanic ashlar, 2-centred head, with
ovolo-moulded surround and contains double plank doors with ornate strap hinges and
other ferramenta.
The whole inside of the church is of exposed brick with volcanic stone and limestone
quoins to the apertures. The walls are decorated with painted stencil designs which
grow the more elaborate from nave to chancel. They are painted directly onto the
naked brick and are an important part of the original 1870 scheme. The nave has a
3-bay roof carried on tie beams with crown post trusses and the chancel has a 2-bay
roof carried on an open arch-braced truss. There is a smaller 2-bay roof with arch-
braced truss to the north transept and leanto half trusses to the aisle and vestry.
The whole roof is lined with pine boards. The tower has a triple arch ring dying
into the responds. On the south side where the-nave is thrown out a little an
octagonal Hamstone pier with scallop base and moulded cap enlivened with carved
stiff leaf decoration supports the nave roof truss. The 3-bay arcade to the narrow
nave and overlapping the transept has double-chamfered arch rings supported on
similar columns. At the front (eastern) end the arch comes down on a slender
circular pier with moulded and carved head. North of the chancel is a similar arch
to the organ house with a similar slender column on the front (eastern) end. There
is a double-chamfered chancel arch on moulded Hamstone corbels. The floor is made
up of 1870 coloured tiles. The nave includes several reset C17 graveslabs, notable
amongst them one of black marble and bearing an armorial device in memory of George
Taner (d.1636). In the chancel encaustic Minton tiles are used including symbols of
the Evangelists and others in memory of the C17 members of the Rows family whilst
beyond the altar rail are all encaustic tiles.
The chancel contains a carved oak reredos comprising bas relief carving of scrolled
foliage either side of an ornate Cross of Iona. The oak altar is decorated with
painted stencil motifs similar to those on the walls. A Beerstone credence is set
in the wall to left with trefoil head, moulded hood with carved foliate labels and
the corbel under the shelf carved as a praying angel. Low altar rail with twisted
iron standards and repousee roses. Gothic-style stalls of oak and pine. Low
chancel screen of oak panelling with blind cinquefoil arches with carved foliate
spandrels and a central open quatrefoil. At the south end the screen cants forward
to give access to the Gothic-style drum pulpit. Similar style lectern. Plain pine
benches throughout. The squire's pew in the north transept has wainscotting
enhanced with panels of linenfold oak. The Gothic-style tower screen is probably
C20.
Beautiful Norman Beerstone bucket font. The rim has a band of carved star and
pellet; then a very good band of semi-Classical foliate scrollwork bounded by an
arris edge, below a row of narrow scallops, then a broad cable and finally a band of
wide saw-tooth chevrons, and it is set on a chamfered plinth. The hood is oak and
tapering with ribs and poppyhead finial, probably a C19 rebuild, a restoration of
the original.
Mural monuments: the best is in the north transept: a white marble drapery monument
containing a scrolled cartouche in memory of John Cholwich of Farringdon House
(d.1714), his wife Phillippa (d.1720) and several family relations who died between
1721 - 1800. His arms below flanked by fern-like wings and contained in a scrolled
cartouche is inscribed to the effect that the monument was erected by John and
Philippa. Also here is a marble plaque under a heraldic achievement in memory of
the Rev. William Cholwich, also residant of Farringdon House (d.1833), his wife
Elizabeth (d.1836) and sister (d.1848). Other monuments in the same style in the
aisle in memory of the Revd. Richard Rouse, rector of Clyst St George (do 1810),
Francis Rous Ellicombe (d.1834) and a little grander version to Revd. John Sleech
(d.1788) and his family. The tower arch is flanked by similar monuments with
inscribed drapery over the plaques; that to right in memory of Frances Cholwich
(d.1748) with epitaph and to left to John Cholwich (d.1835) with epitaph. Inside
the tower are 2 reset C17 monuments: on the north side a grey marble rectangular
plaque with a bolection Beerstone frame enriched with carved ascanthus leaves in
memory of Francesca Burnet and her infant son Ludovic (both d.1683) with a Latin
epitaph, and on the south side another grey marble plaque with a moulded frame with
scrolled pediment with heraldic arms in a central cartouche in memory of Samuel
Tanner (d.1686), his wife Mary (d.1657) and those members of his family who died
1684-8.
There is the Jacobean communion table and a contemporary chest in the vestry and
Victorian stained glass in east window and in the south chancel windows.
The church has an attractive setting and as a Victorian Gothic church is very
successful.
Source: Devon SMR, Devon C19 Church Project

Listing NGR: SY0177291221

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17547352

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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