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Summary

Anglican chapel, recently redundant, built 1854-5 by Edward Ashworth of Exeter. Proposals for conversion in early 21st century. Cove chapel was rebuilt in 1846 on the site of a medieval chapel.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1384706: CHAPEL OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS91NE/28
• Old Listed Building Ref (II): 485160

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CHAPEL (XIX - 1854 AD to 1855 AD (Between))

Full description

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV164844.

Retains 2 bells, one of which is said to have come from the previous church (dick).

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV242.

Cove chapel. Of the many medieval chapels in tiverton parish this is the only one in which service is still performed (reichel).

GIBSON, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV33825.

Built early 1850's; consecrated 1873, visited by m. Fletcher, who suspects that the void under the present building may preserve the relatively undisturbed floor of the medieval building (gibson).

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV42395.

Reichel, o. J. /hundreds of devon/(1928-1938)17/the hundred of tiverton in early times.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV42396.

Hoskins, w. G. /devon/(1954)497.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV42399.

Des=dick, a. M. /(1/3/1993)/pers comm from r. Hill-king.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV42400.

Gibson, t. /tiverton museum newslatter/7(1995)2-4;illus/in pf.

Hill-King, R. F., 01/10/1992, Change of Use: Conversion from Place of Worship to Dwelling (Planning Application). SDV358862.

Department of Environment, 14/10/1991, Chapel of St John the Baptist, Cove (Correspondence). SDV354721.

Chapel. 1854-5 by Edward Ashworth of Exeter. Dressed and snecked slatestone with limestone dressings; gabled slate roofs with bracketed kneelers to stone coped gables. Chancel with north vestry and nave with south porch. Decorated Gothic Revival style.One-bay chancel has 3-light east window and ogee-headed one-light side windows. North vestry has one-light window. Three-bay nave has finely-carved head stops to hoodmoulds over 2-light windows with varied tracery and over pointed-arched doorway to south porch. Offset buttresses flank west gable which has 3-light window with intersecting tracery. Interior noted as having boarded pointed-arched roof to chancel and braced roof to nave; double-chamfered chancel arch and chamfered pointed-arched doorway to vestry; fittings include Gothic style alter rail with dagger tracery; creed boards in chancel; mid/late 19th century stained glass. A competent work by a noted local Ecclesiological architect.

Kelly, 1935, Kelly's Directory, 742 (Unknown). SDV33828.

Church register dates from 1680

Hoskins, W. G., 1954, A New Survey of England: Devon, 497 (Monograph). SDV17562.

The chapel was rebult in 1846.

Hill-King, R. F., 1992, Former Church of St John the Baptist, Cove, Devon (Plan - measured). SDV358863.

Slater, P., 1992, Old Village Church may be Destroyed (Article in Serial). SDV42398.

A redundant Devon parish church may be demolished soon, with the blessings of villagers.

No services have been held since the mid-1980's. In 1992 the church commissioners proposed demolition. The church was closed in 1985 when the congregation had dwindled to less than 10. The church was designed by Exeter architect Edwards Ashworth and was constructed on the site of a medieval chapel in 1854.

Dick, A. M., 1993, Untitled Source (Worksheet). SDV33827.

1842 tm shows the predecessor of the present church to have lain slightly to the south west. It appears to have been of similar proportions to the present building but is shown with a central porch.

Gibson, T., 1995, Untitled Source (Article in Serial). SDV33829.

Existed by 1554. Said to be in great decay in 1640. Repairs ordered in 1662. In 1832 rural dean recorded "walls near porch and the font are very dilapidated and dangerous. Roof quite decayed". For the next few years the annual record states that the chapel was in good repair, until a new dean, in 1842 records that the chapel was "so much dilapidated as to require rebuilding". Floor of medieval building may survive beneath the floor void of the present chapel.

Unknown, 2001, Revised Plans for Conversion of St John the Baptist Church, Cove (Plan - measured). SDV354720.

Ordnance Survey, 2013, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV350786.

English Heritage, 2013, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV350785.

Anglican chapel, recently redundant. 1854-5 by Edward Ashworth of Exeter. Dressed and snecked slatestone with limestone dressings; slate roofs with bracketed kneelers to dressed stone coped gables. Decorated Gothic Revival style. Chancel with north vestry and nave with south porch. Exterior: 1-bay chancel has 3-light east window and ogee-headed 1-light side windows. north vestry has 1-light window. 3-bay nave has finely-carved head stops to hoodmoulds over 2-light windows with varied tracery. Interior: noted as having boarded pointed-arched roof to chancel and braced roof to nave; double-chamfered pointed chancel arch and chamfered pointed-arched doorway to vestry. Fittings include Gothic style alter rail with dagger tracery; creed boards in chancel; mid/late C19 stained glass. A competent work by a noted local Ecclesiological architect.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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