Church Of St Swithin

Church of St Swithin

A parish church of largely Perpendicular character, though incorporating work from several periods. The building comprises a chancel, nave with north and south aisles of five bays each, a south porch, and a west tower. The south doorway dates from the 14th century, with the aisles added in the late 15th century. The porch was constructed in the late 15th or early 16th century, the tower in the 16th century, and parts of the east end in the 17th century (confirmed by a date stone). The main structural materials are granite dressings, stone rubble to the aisles brought to course, and dressed stone to the tower brought to course. The south porch combines polyphant and stone rubble with polyphant dressings. The east end is patched stone rubble with granite dressings, whilst the east gables of the chancel and north aisle have been rebuilt in local brick. All roofs are slate.

The south aisle contains three four-light windows with 20th-century tracery probably following the pattern of 16th-century originals, with no cusping in the heads, and a fourth three-light window to the west of the porch that has not been renewed. Neither aisle has windows at its west end. The east window of the chancel has three wide lights with thin tracery, and shows evidence of 17th-century restoration of a 15th-century window, with a cut-back jamb, repaired cusping, and a brick gable. The north aisle features a moulded granite string above the plinth, four four-light Perpendicular windows with hoodmoulds and label stops, a rectangular stair turret, and a blocked arched north door. Its east window is a particularly fine large four-light window with Perpendicular tracery, hoodmould and label stops, with a keystone of local brick above. The tower is a three-stage unbuttressed structure with battlemented top and slight batter. Stages are marked by moulded granite strings. The tower pinnacles are boldly sculpted and tall, with heavily crocketed finials (comparable to those at Poundstock and Morwenstow). A moulded granite string above the tower plinth rises to become the west door hoodmould. The west doorway itself is round-headed with shallow moulding. The granite west window displays Perpendicular tracery under a hoodmould with label stops. The ringing chamber has a rectangular light on its south side with moulded granite architrave, and the belfry openings are two-light with slate louvres under a single blind cusped opening.

The south porch is a substantial structure. Its outer doorway features a polyphant arch carried on chamfered freestone and polyphant jambs. The porch interior contains oak-topped benches, a 15th-century arched brace and collar roof with ribs and bosses, and a holy water stoup. The inner doorway is deeply moulded polyphant with an arched head. A 16th or 17th-century door retains outer vertical boarding with studs and horizontal inner boarding, along with strap hinges bearing fleur de lys finials, a loop drop latch, and a large wooden lock casing.

Interior

The south aisle arcade comprises polyphant piers of four shafts and four hollows, with fleurons carved on the crested capitals, carrying deeply moulded arches. The north arcade is similar in granite, but without fleurons on the capitals. A tall double hollow-chamfered tower arch dies into unmoulded jambs, and there is no chancel arch. The nave roof is a ceiled waggon without ribs or bosses, whilst the aisle roofs are ceiled waggons with ribs and bosses. The north aisle ribs are richly carved with deeply cut bosses that include foliage designs and three examples of the Granville arms. The wall plate displays fine vine carving. The south aisle roof is less elaborate, with fleurons carved on the ribs.

A 12th-century font is present, bearing two orders of cable moulding on its bowl. The chancel step incorporates an important large collection of 16th-century Barnstaple glazed tiles with conventional Barnstaple designs, including a pelican, lion, and profile head with foliage. Late 18th-century marble communion and commandment tablets on the chancel east wall were given by Sir John Call. A pre-archaeological Gothic wooden frame around the tablets forms a reredos, with a similar communion rail dating from the late 18th or early 19th century.

The church contains an important collection of woodwork. A set of 16th-century benches, mostly complete, with moulded rails and carved rectangular ends is distributed throughout the church: six in the south aisle, two in the east end of the south aisle, eleven in the south nave (each with two ends), and eleven in the north nave (each with two ends). Some bench ends feature unconventional borders. Designs include symbols of the Passion, Agnus Dei, Ascension, large initials, and the Grenville arms. Those at the east end of the south nave have a frontal with continuous carving of blind tracery above quatrefoils filled with various symbols. The east wall of the south aisle and part of the south return feature fine 17th-century panelling consisting of friezes of round-headed arches with vine decoration and an armorial bearing. The north aisle contains 18th-century panelled box pews, with further panelling used as dado to the south aisle and west end.

A late 18th or early 19th-century pulpit features Gothick tracery applied to a drum of 17th-century style, with a contemporary tester. A large Royal Arms of Charles II, with traces of colour, is attributed to Michael Chuke and displayed on the north wall. A freestone monument to Sir John Chamond, who died in 1624, stands in the east end of the south aisle. It shows a figure leaning on an elbow within an architectural surround, with kneeling figures at head and foot. Part of the inscription on a slate panel above the figure reads "A memorial for the erecters of the monumente. Ana Grammata", and below the figure is a slate inscription with the anagram "Edwarde Arundell, / read and ruled wel".

Early plaster on all walls possibly conceals wall paintings. The west wall of the south aisle shows remains of probably two wall paintings at different plaster levels, recently patched with cement. One is a very large painting of the Sacrifice of Isaac, depicting two angels above Abraham holding Isaac on an altar, with smaller figures to the left (including one holding an ass or horse) that appear to be 17th-century work. The whole is framed by a painted surround of classical architecture. A painted text on the north wall of the north aisle is said to be the text of a letter from Charles I, dated 1643, thanking his Cornish subjects.

The east window retains iron stanchions. A date stone bearing "R.C.1689" is built into the exterior east wall of the chancel. The floor of the nave and north aisle is composed of slate memorials. The interior is well-lit, with old clear glass throughout, much of which has been carefully repaired. Two of the six bells are dated 1751 and hang in a later cast iron bell frame.

The church was described by John Betjeman as "the least spoilt church in Cornwall", and its bench ends are among the finest in Cornwall.