Church Of St Dominica

Church of St Dominica

A parish church dating from the 14th century, with substantial additions of the early 15th century and late 15th century, and undergoing restoration in the 19th century.

The building comprises a nave and chancel in one, with a west tower of late 14th-century date, a south aisle and south porch added in the early 15th century, and a north aisle with rood stair added in the late 15th century. The tower is built of slatestone rubble with granite dressings. The south aisle and south porch are in granite ashlar with granite dressings; the north aisle is in slatestone rubble with granite dressings and a granite ashlar roof stair. The west end of the north aisle is rendered and the east end is in ashlar. The chancel is in slatestone rubble. All roofs are of slate with ridge tiles and gable ends.

The exterior of the nave is largely concealed by the aisles. The chancel east end has a 15th-century four-light window with 19th-century mullions, featuring cusped lights with upper tracery, a four-centred arch and hood mould with label stops. The west tower rises in three stages with diagonal weathered buttresses and string courses. The third stage is corbelled out with a double upper string course and recessed panels between the string courses on the east, south and west sides, each containing a carved figure. The tower has an embattled parapet and pinnacles. The west doorway has a four-centred arch with a rounded convex-moulded surround featuring bar and heart stops, a concave outer moulding with the same stops, and a hood mould; the 19th-century double doors are similar in character to the doorway at the Church of St Leonard and St Dilp in Landulph. A two-light west window has cusped lights with upper tracery, a four-centred arch and hood mould. The second stage has two lancets to the west and south, and a stair tower with pitched roof at the first stage. The second stage to the north has a lancet and clock. The third stage has two-light bell-openings with three-centred arched lights and pierced lead louvres.

The south aisle comprises five bays with the porch occupying the west bay. It sits on a chamfered plinth that is continuous with the porch plinth. To the south there are three three-light windows with cusped lights, square heads and hood moulds. To the east is a three-centred arched doorway with a plain door and a similar two-light window. The east end has a three-light window with cusped lights, upper tracery, a four-centred arch and hood mould. A slate tablet commemorating Benjamin Fowell, dated 1803, is attached to the south aisle. The west end has a three-light window matching that to the east.

The gabled south porch has weathered diagonal buttresses. The four-centred arched outer doorway features clustered piers with plain abaci and a 20th-century lamp set above. The arch is stepped and chamfered, and four-centred in profile. The interior of the porch contains a 15th-century wagon roof, ceiled with moulded ribs and carved bosses with a moulded wall-plate. The floor is tiled in the 19th century. The inner doorway has a four-centred arch with hollow-chamfered mouldings and pyramid stops, with a 19th-century door fitted with strap hinges.

The north aisle comprises five bays with four three-light 15th-century windows featuring cusped lights, square heads and hood moulds with recessed surrounds. In the centre stands the ashlar rood stair, positioned on a hollow-chamfered plinth that steps up from the hollow-chamfered plinth of the aisle, with a small single-light opening and pitched roof. The west bay contains a blocked four-centred arched doorway with recessed spandrels decorated with leaves, a square head and hood mould, and a roll-moulded surround. The east end, in ashlar, has a three-light window matching that on the south aisle. The west end is rendered and also has a similar three-light window.

The interior has plastered walls and a 19th-century tiled floor. The nave, chancel and aisles all have late 15th-century wagon roofs, ceiled with moulded ribs and fine carved bosses. The carved wall-plate features pomegranates, leaves and flowers, while the aisle wall-plates are brattished. The chancel roof was painted in the 19th century with stencilled decoration. A tall narrow four-centred tower arch connects the nave to the tower. A pointed chamfered doorway leads to the south tower stair, with a door fitted with strap hinges.

The south arcade is earlier than the north arcade, with stepped and chamfered rounded arches; a four-centred arch appears at the east end. The piers consist of four shafts with moulding between them, plain moulded capitals and bases. The piers at the junction between the nave and the chancel to both north and south have openings for the rood loft.

The five-bay north arcade features taller four-centred arches with two concave mouldings and Pevsner A-type piers with geometric carved abaci. The north arcade was probably constructed at the same time as the rood screen, as evidenced by the uncarved capitals of the northern pier in contrast to the carved capitals of the southern arcade piers. The north aisle has a round-arched doorway to the rood stair and an upper chamfered doorway, with a stone newel stair.

The chancel contains a cusped piscina and aumbry to the south, with a 19th-century aumbry to the north. The north aisle has a 19th-century south aumbry, while the south aisle has a chamfered piscina to the south.

Furnishings include 19th-century pews and pulpit, and a fine organ with panels featuring painted figures of the saints. A portion of the 15th-century rood screen is preserved in the north aisle. An octagonal stone font, possibly of 19th-century date, stands in the nave.

The north aisle contains a monument to William Brendon, dated 1700 to 1705, comprising an oval slate convex tablet with a stone carved wreath surround decorated with putti and a grotesque mask.

The south aisle contains several monuments: a marble tablet on slate ground with apron, cornice and urn dedicated to Thomas Horndon, Rector, dated 1800; a marble tablet on corbels with slate pilasters, cornice and inclined shield of arms to John Clarke, dated 1749; and a fine chest tomb in slate with stone dressings, shields and crests on stone pilasters to the sides, and a moulded edge with geometric decoration. Two recumbent stone effigies lie upon this tomb: Sir Anthony Rous of Halton and his son Ambrose, both of whom died in 1620 and are depicted in Jacobean armour. Two shields of arms with helms are present, along with an inscription tablet on the wall at the east end.