Higher Brixham, Devon
Church of St Mary , Higher Brixham Devon has solid roughcast walls with some details in exposed, squared and coursed red sandstone & others in limestone, probably from Beer.
This building is probably the third on the site of a Celtic burial ground. It is assumed that Christian Saxons settled here shortly after 926AD
The wooden Saxon church was succeeded by a Norman church 14 feet wide with walls 28 inches thick, the foundations of which were discovered in January 1892 when excavations were made to install hot water pipes.
The actual date of the present building is not recorded, but the pillars are so close in design to those in Totnes church (known to have been in the course of construction in 1432) that many experts feel the 2 churches had the same architect.
It consists of a nave, north & south aisles, north & south transepts, chancel, north and south chancel chapels, three stage west tower & south porch. There is a stair turret at the west end of each aisle with battlemented tops;
The south porch is single-storeyed with diagonal buttresses and battlements. It has a restored pointed-arched limestone doorway with heavily-weathered holy water stoup to its right. Inside are stone seats and a Beer stone star vault springing from corner shafts; centre boss carved with Virgin Mary flanked by angels; further bosses at intersections. 2 carved with animals, the rest with flowers.
Re-roofed by Ashworth in 1867, restored by Tait & Harvey in 1905.
Fixed to south wall of south transept is a stone sundial with rounded top, this filled with a happy gilded face with sun rays instead of hair. www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/s8iT5r6vEf
The tower has a clock on each side added in 1931, the one to the west is more ornate of 1740 with names of wardens , W Clarke and L Edwards. The west doorway is of medieval Beer stone, heavily moulded and with pointed arch. The second stage has a statue of the Virgin Mary. North and south faces each have a large blocked window in lowest stage.
Inside the aisled nave is flanked by Beer stone arcades . There are small, pointed-arched, chamfered red sandstone doorways to each of the aisle stair turrets, that to north now blocked.
Ogee-headed Beer stone piscinas in chancel and north transept, both with carved basins and stone shelves; that in chancel has the arms of Bishop Courtenay of Exeter (1478-87).
The north transept (later converted to Churston family pew) has screen of fluted wooden columns removed from former south gallery of 1792;
The early 14c Beer stone font has an octagonal base buttressed by 3 grotesque animals. It is surmounted by a Gothic font cover dated 1908.
Under the tower the original clock mechanism (now out of use) of 1740, with maker's plate of William Stumbels, Totnes.
At either side of chancel, piercing the walls with chancel chapels, are late-medieval stone tombs. That to north has quatrefoil-panelled base and carved ogee canopy with traces of old paint with inscribed top of grey stone, said to be for William Hille, vicar 1464-87. The tomb to the south also has panelled front; panelled interior with vaulted canopy; but no inscription, in place of effigy an early-medieval stone coffin lid. www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/626QnZbUQj
The north chancel chapel has 3 ornate 17c monuments to the Upton family of Lupton. In south chancel chapel there is a white marble monument of c1720 to Anne Stucley, in the form of a cartouche with a pair of skulls at the base;
All but the north window of the north transept contain Victorian or early 20c stained glass.
Paula Goodfellow CCL www.geograph.org.uk/photo/30974
Higher Brixham, Devon
Church of St Mary , Higher Brixham Devon has solid roughcast walls with some details in exposed, squared and coursed red sandstone & others in limestone, probably from Beer.
This building is probably the third on the site of a Celtic burial ground. It is assumed that Christian Saxons settled here shortly after 926AD
The wooden Saxon church was succeeded by a Norman church 14 feet wide with walls 28 inches thick, the foundations of which were discovered in January 1892 when excavations were made to install hot water pipes.
The actual date of the present building is not recorded, but the pillars are so close in design to those in Totnes church (known to have been in the course of construction in 1432) that many experts feel the 2 churches had the same architect.
It consists of a nave, north & south aisles, north & south transepts, chancel, north and south chancel chapels, three stage west tower & south porch. There is a stair turret at the west end of each aisle with battlemented tops;
The south porch is single-storeyed with diagonal buttresses and battlements. It has a restored pointed-arched limestone doorway with heavily-weathered holy water stoup to its right. Inside are stone seats and a Beer stone star vault springing from corner shafts; centre boss carved with Virgin Mary flanked by angels; further bosses at intersections. 2 carved with animals, the rest with flowers.
Re-roofed by Ashworth in 1867, restored by Tait & Harvey in 1905.
Fixed to south wall of south transept is a stone sundial with rounded top, this filled with a happy gilded face with sun rays instead of hair. www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/s8iT5r6vEf
The tower has a clock on each side added in 1931, the one to the west is more ornate of 1740 with names of wardens , W Clarke and L Edwards. The west doorway is of medieval Beer stone, heavily moulded and with pointed arch. The second stage has a statue of the Virgin Mary. North and south faces each have a large blocked window in lowest stage.
Inside the aisled nave is flanked by Beer stone arcades . There are small, pointed-arched, chamfered red sandstone doorways to each of the aisle stair turrets, that to north now blocked.
Ogee-headed Beer stone piscinas in chancel and north transept, both with carved basins and stone shelves; that in chancel has the arms of Bishop Courtenay of Exeter (1478-87).
The north transept (later converted to Churston family pew) has screen of fluted wooden columns removed from former south gallery of 1792;
The early 14c Beer stone font has an octagonal base buttressed by 3 grotesque animals. It is surmounted by a Gothic font cover dated 1908.
Under the tower the original clock mechanism (now out of use) of 1740, with maker's plate of William Stumbels, Totnes.
At either side of chancel, piercing the walls with chancel chapels, are late-medieval stone tombs. That to north has quatrefoil-panelled base and carved ogee canopy with traces of old paint with inscribed top of grey stone, said to be for William Hille, vicar 1464-87. The tomb to the south also has panelled front; panelled interior with vaulted canopy; but no inscription, in place of effigy an early-medieval stone coffin lid. www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/626QnZbUQj
The north chancel chapel has 3 ornate 17c monuments to the Upton family of Lupton. In south chancel chapel there is a white marble monument of c1720 to Anne Stucley, in the form of a cartouche with a pair of skulls at the base;
All but the north window of the north transept contain Victorian or early 20c stained glass.
Paula Goodfellow CCL www.geograph.org.uk/photo/30974