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Summary

15th century church. Extensively altered 1863 and 1879.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1104983: CHURCH OF ST GILES

Other References/Statuses

• Church of England HER: 5341
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS51NW/2
• Old Listed Building Ref (II)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• PARISH CHURCH (Early Medieval to XXI - 1066 AD to 2009 AD (Between))

Full description

NMR, SS51NW12 (National Monuments Record Database). SDV20626.

Unatributed Sites and Monuments Register Entry (Unattributed Sites and Monuments Register Entry). SDV263.

Parish church of St. Giles in the Wood. Extensively altered 1863 and 1879. Many brasses.

Fulford Williams, H., 1964, Notes on the Parish of Saint Giles-in-the-Heath, Devon (Un-published). SDV340782.

Clemens, J., 1983, Untitled Source (Pamphlet). SDV20628.

Department of Environment, 1989, St. Giles in the Wood, 168 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV655.

C15, extensively altered 1862-3, other works in 1879. Local stone rubble laid to rough courses; sandstone ashlar detail; slate roof with crested ridge tiles.
Plan: nave and chancel, N + S aisles are not full length, 1879 vestry and organ chamber on N side of the chancel. N + S porches. W tower. Only the tower and outer walls survived the 1862-3 rebuilding and even these were much altered.
Exterior: W tower of 2 storeys with low diagonal buttresses, embattled parapet with corner pinnacles and internal stair. Plain rectangular belfry windows. W doorway is a 2 centred arch and moulded surround; its granite jambs may be medieval. The window above is 2 lights with decorated tracery, hoodmould and carved foliate label stops. There are similar windows around the rest of the church. A clock was installed in the tower in 1879 with its face on the E side and the S side has the remains of a c17 mural monument. Both porches are gabled with 2 centred arch doorways on their E sides, the N one surmounted by a large carving of the royal arms.
Interior is wholly c19. Nave + aisles have open roofs carried on arch-braced trusses. Chancel roof is a panelled timber vault painted with angels and evangelists. Tower arch is a tall 2-centred arch with moulded surround and Norman-style nook shafts. Chancel arch has a moulded surround springing from moulded corbels. Each side of the nave are 5-bay arcades with cylindrical granite piers with moulded capitals. Full height arches to both porches. Segmental arch from chancel to the 1879 organ chamber. The walls are plastered except in the tower. The tile floor includes encaustic tiles in the chancel and contains some good c16 and c17 graveslabs and a couple include brasses, one in memory of Mary Rolle (died 1570) and another in memory of Joanna Risdon (died 1610). The best however is a brass in memory of Alyanora Pollard (died 1430).
Furniture and fittings: sanctuary is lined with Beerstone ashlar wainscotting with geometric pattern friezes of inlaid marble and a good carved alabaster reredos; blind Gothic arcade featuring sacred emblems. The E window is flanked by marble commandment boards framed with carved alabaster. Brass altar rail. Oak stalls with some Gothic ornamentation. Low wall serves as the chancel screen. It is beerstone with marble coping and incorporates a good marble pulpit complete with brass book rest and candle holders. Brass lectern. Plain pine benches. Beerstone font in perpendicular style. Gothic style oak tower screen. Circa 1987 part of S aisle screened off as a meeting room.
Memorials: good c17 monument in N porch in memory of Mary Risdon (date illegible); oval plaque flanked by pilasters, moulded entablature with swan-necked pediment surmounted by an heraldic cartouche, moulded sill on acanthus consoles and carved apron. S porch has marble memorials to Henry Ebberly (died 1710) and Henry Hale (died 1740). In the S aisle is the recumbent figure of Thomas Chafe (died 1648) with a couple of heraldic cartouches, all that remains from a c17 chest tomb. It was painted c.1985. Also on S aisle includes a good inlaid marble and mosaic memorial to mark George Kerr Rolle (died 1907).
All the windows contain c19 stained glass, the Grissaile glass installed to commemorate the diamond jubilee of Queen Victoria.

Cherry, B. + Pevsner, N., 1989, The Buildings of England: Devon, 701 (Monograph). SDV325629.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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