Church Of St Terminus

Church of St Terminus

This parish church dates from the late 13th century, with significant mid 15th-century additions and a major restoration in 1872. It is built in slatestone random and squared rubble with limestone dressings, and has slate roofs with crested ridge tiles.

The building comprises a west tower of late 13th-century date, a nave, and a chancel probably built in the mid 15th century. The north arcade, north aisle and north porch also date to the mid 15th century, while the south porch is later. The 1872 restoration included re-roofing and rebuilding of both the north and south porches.

The 2-stage tower is the most prominent feature. It has very large weathered buttresses to north and south rising to the first stage, with moulded string courses and a set-back embattled parapet. The west side has a 19th-century 2-light window with cusped lights and hood mould, set in an opening that formerly housed a much larger window, with a rough segmental head and imposts still visible. At the second stage, the north side features a lower bell-opening with slate louvre and a square-headed lancet with 4-centred arched hood mould. At the upper level on all sides are single lancet bell-openings with granite jambs and slate louvres; a string course steps over the head of the south bell-opening. The embattled parapet has coping and later 15th-century granite obelisk pinnacles.

The nave has two south windows, both of 19th-century date, each with three cusped lights. The gabled south porch is built in squared stone on a plinth with a 4-centred arched doorway with imposts, a relieving arch and keystone. It has raised coped verges and a cross finial. Inside the porch are a 17th-century slate ledger stone set in the floor and stone benches to the sides. The 19th-century roof has purlins and a wall-plate. A brick segmental arch with a 4-centred arched head spans the inner 19th-century door, which has strap hinges and wooden spandrels carved with quatrefoils.

The chancel is a single bay set back from the nave and blind to the south. It has a 19th-century 3-light east window with 4-centred arch and intersecting tracery.

The north aisle spans three bays on a moulded plinth. Its 3-light east window has hollow-chamfered 3-centred arched lights, upper tracery and hood mould. The north side has two similar 3-light windows, with an additional similar window at the east end. The gabled north porch matches the south porch in materials and style, with a round-arched outer doorway with imposts, raised coped verges and a cross finial. It contains a slate floor and 19th-century roof similar to the south porch. The inner doorway dates to the 15th century and is hollow-chamfered with a 4-centred arch and a mask corbel set above; it is fitted with a 19th-century studded door.

Interior

The walls are plastered throughout. The nave, chancel and north aisle all have 19th-century roofs of arched-braces with collar and king posts. The tower arch is granite with polygonal shafts to the sides, impost mouldings and a chamfered 4-centred arch; a 19th-century screen crosses the arch. The 4-bay north arcade features Pevsner A-type piers with abaci carved with geometric leaves, and 4-centred arches with convex and roll mouldings.

Fittings

The font in the nave probably dates to the 13th century and has moulded sides to a square bowl. An oil on canvas depicting the arms of the Blake family hangs in the north aisle, dated 1770. In the tower is a hatchment of early 19th-century date inscribed with the Lord's Prayer and Creed. The nave and aisle contain 19th-century wooden pews, and an 18th-century sanctuary chair stands in the chancel.

Monuments in the nave include a marble tablet on slate ground to Jonathan Palmer, 1839; a slate tablet with pedimental head, painted lettering and flaming urn to Peter Palmer, 1736; a marble tablet on slate ground to Mary Palmer, 1821; and a slate tablet with pedimental top, two flaming urns, a heart in a roundel, a skull set within a clock face and a casket, to Jewell Doidge, 1798. In the north aisle are a fine Jacobean slate tablet with strapwork and primitive Gothic lettering to Henry Dudy, 1636, and an oval slate tablet to Ann Tawe, 1691.

The chancel and aisle east windows contain late 19th-century stained glass.