Description

PLYMOUTH

SX5056SW OLD LAIRA ROAD, Laira
740-1/39/319 (North side)
01/05/75 Church of St Mary
(Formerly Listed as:
OLD LAIRA ROAD, Plymouth
Church of St Mary the Virgin)

II

Anglican church replacing a mission church. Started to be
built 1911, W end never completed as designed, by TR Kitsell
of Plymouth on a site donated by Lucy Clark of Efford Manor.
Rock-faced granite brought to course; slatehanging to W end;
Bath stone to interior; dry slate roofs: steep roof to nave,
lean-to roofs to aisles, steep pyramidal roof behind plain
parapet of tower and octagonal roof to stair turret.
PLAN: 2-bay nave; chancel; N and S aisles; SE tower; NE vestry
and small W porch.
EXTERIOR: mainly Perpendicular style, but with some
curvilinear tracery and some lancets, built on a very sloping
site up to the west and to the north so that there is a crypt
under the S aisle, under the tower and under the chancel.
3-stage buttresses with cruciform finials/pinnacles to aisles
and 3-light windows with varied Gothic tracery and hoodmoulds;
crypt/basement under S aisle has 2 wide ordered segmental
arches and recessed panels, the one on the right with 3
stepped windows, the one on the left similar except with a
segmental-headed doorway on its right. Pairs of clearstorey
windows to nave and well carved gargoyles by JB Hunt. Squat
buttressed tower has narrow pointed doorway approached by
steps between stair turret buttresses on the left; louvred
segmental-headed lights to 3 sides of bell chamber; pointed
2-light window below to S wall and 3-light window to E wall,
both with tracery and hoodmoulds; small crypt windows. Chancel
has pair of lancets over crypt doorway in the angle and
2-light traceried window on its right; very fine 5-light E
window with very intricate tracery over a panelled apron with
central statue above a squat 5-light crypt window and the N
wall has 2 lancets.
INTERIOR: very fine carving of angels and dolphins by JB Hunt
of Plymouth, arcade arches with late Gothic detail, sedilia
with nodding ogee arch to the 1st seat and 2 more seats below
trefoil-headed windows.
FITTINGS: Arts and Crafts font with a grey Polyphant bowl,
with slightly Art Nouveaux carving at the corners, on a green
marble central shaft and spirally decorated corner shafts;

cover with crocketed spirelet supported by big volutes;
reredos in SE chapel by one of the Pinwells.
GLASS: mostly clear glass with patterned leading and some
richly coloured glass to top lights.
(The Buildings of England: Pevsner N: Devon: London: 1989-:
644).

Listing NGR: SX5040556001

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26666020

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.

Recommended Books

• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990