Church Of St Andrew

A parish church at Stratton with origins in the 12th century, substantially rebuilt and restored during the 19th century. The church comprises a west tower, nave with north and south aisles, chancel, and a late 19th-century vestry at the north east.

The building displays mixed architectural styles. The north aisle, rebuilt in 1888 by St Aubyn and Wadling, is constructed of stone rubble with a Decorated polyphant arcade. The chancel, south aisle, and tower are of ashlar masonry with a granite south arcade in Perpendicular style. Medieval dressings are granite; 19th-century additions use Ham Hill and probably Hatherleigh stone.

The chancel has a granite coping to its gable end and a 4-light traceried Perpendicular granite east window beneath a hoodmould, with some renewal of tracery evident. The north side of the chancel contains a square-headed 2-light freestone cusped window under a hoodmould, and the south side a similar 3-light window. The south aisle's east window is a 4-light Perpendicular traceried window. Five 3-light windows on the south side and one to the west end retain 15th-century granite sills, jambs, arches and hoodmoulds, though with 19th-century freestone Perpendicular tracery. A narrow 4-centred arched chamfered priest's door opens on the north side.

The north aisle contains, from east to west, three 3-light 19th-century Decorated traceried windows under hoodmoulds, followed by two westernmost windows that are arched freestone 3-light windows without cusping, probably 19th-century replacements of 16th-century work. A blocked chamfered elliptical arched doorway exists in the west wall of the north aisle.

The tall 3-stage battlemented west tower features moulded string courses and 19th-century Ham Hill corner pinnacles decorated with crockets, finials, and grotesques at the base. It has set-back buttresses of unusual section and a slightly projecting rectangular north east stair turret. A rectangular opening at the bell ringers' stage provides access; 3-light belfry openings display Perpendicular tracery. The west front of the tower has a 14th-century Ham Hill doorway, window and statue niche replacing medieval Polyphant work. The doorway is an elaborate moulded 4-centred arch under a moulded square head, with an order of vine carving round the opening and flowers carved within the square-headed frame. Small pilasters either side rise to frame the west window and terminate in tall engaged gabled crocketted pinnacles. The 3-light Perpendicular west window sits in a deep moulded recess with an ogival hoodmould terminating in an engaged crocketted finial, crockets carved upon the hoodmould itself.

The north east vestry, added in the late 19th century, has a flamboyant east window and two flamboyant north windows with ogival heads, positioned to the left of a stone chimney. A porch with granite coping and kneelers contains a moulded 4-centred arched granite outer doorway under a sundial in the gable. The porch roof is Perpendicular open waggon with moulded ribs and bosses; vine-carving appears on the wall plate. The granite tops of stone benches are probably re-used coping stones. Fixed to the west wall of the church is an early 19th-century plank door from the parish lock-up, studded with the word "CLINK" picked out in studs. The inner door features a moulded 4-centred arch with carvings in the spandrels.

The interior has plastered walls except for the arcade walls. The north arcade, of 14th-century Decorated polyphant, was financed around 1348 by Sir Ralph de Blanchminster. The piers, raised on rectangular blocks, comprise four large shafts with quirks between, supporting double-chamfered arches. The south arcade, rebuilt in 1888, consists of Perpendicular granite monolith piers of four shafts and four hollows with conventional carved capitals supporting moulded arches. Open waggon roofs throughout, with carved ribs and bosses, appear largely original. The tower arch is low with a sunk moulding and a bead moulding round the arch. There is no chancel arch.

The 12th-century font has a cable-moulded bowl set on a mid-19th-century stone base. A 17th-century 5-sided drum pulpit on a wineglass stem features panels of round-headed blind arches. Several early 16th-century rectangular bench ends, now fixed to 20th-century benches, display panels of blind tracery and are carved with monograms and armorial bearings. A large chamfered arched recess in the north wall of the chancel is said to be an Easter sepulchre but appears too small and plain for such a purpose. A stair to the former rood loft exists on the south side; the present rood screen dates to 1901 and was designed by E H Sedding.

A mutilated effigy of a cross-legged knight, probably from the late 13th century, sits in a window embrasure in the north aisle. An Arundel brass fixed to the west wall commemorates Sir John Arundell, died 1561, with brass figures, inscription and armorial bearings set in a stone matrix formerly the lid of an altar tomb.

The church contains stained glass by several notable makers. The east window was designed by Burne-Jones for the Morris Company. Good windows appear in the tower and the west window of the north aisle by Kempe. The westernmost window of the south aisle is by Lavers Barraud and Westlake; two south aisle windows are by Ward and Hughes. The east window of the north aisle and the easternmost window of the north side are by Clayton and Bell. Royal Arms in plaster appear on the Lady Chapel wall.

The comprehensive restoration of 1888, costing £2,000, involved substantial repair to the tower and complete rebuilding of the north aisle.