Church Of St Columba

Church of St Columba

Parish church of 14th-century origin, with significant additions in the 15th century and restoration undertaken in the mid to late 19th century. The building is constructed of slatestone rubble with granite dressings. The tower's first three stages are rendered, with granite ashlar at the fourth stage. Slate roofs with ridge tiles and gabled ends feature raised coped verges, with cross finials to the east.

The plan comprises a nave and chancel in one, with north and south aisles that extend both the full length of the nave and beyond the chancel. North and south transepts are present, and north and south porches serve the building. A west tower completes the composition.

The exterior shows the nave largely concealed by the aisles. The east end of the chancel contains a five-light 19th-century Perpendicular window with a four-centred arch and hood mould, flanked by buttresses. The north aisle has four bays to the west, including the porch, and three bays to the east, built on a plinth. To the west are three three-light 19th-century Perpendicular windows with cusped lights, two-centred arches and hood moulds. A moulded cornice and ashlar parapet run continuously with the porch. The west end features a three-light 19th-century Perpendicular window with hood mould. The three eastern bays contain three similar three-light Perpendicular windows and a two-centred arched doorway fitted with a 19th-century door bearing strap hinges and a hood mould. The east end holds a five-light 19th-century Perpendicular window. The north porch is two-storey with a plinth and ashlar parapet with coping. A two-centred arched doorway in elvan stone has two chamfered orders, with a single light above framed by a chamfered granite surround. The west side incorporates a polygonal stair tower topped with a slate louvred ventilator. The east side bears an attached slate tablet commemorating Samuel Nicholls Nankivell, 1816. The interior of the porch has a 19th-century common rafter roof, with a two-centred arched inner doorway featuring a moulded surround with run-out stops and a 19th-century door with strap hinges.

The south aisle contains three bays to the west, including the porch, and three bays to the east, all on a plinth. The ashlar embattled parapet of the porch continues around the west end of the aisle. To the right of the porch stands a four-light 19th-century Perpendicular window, with a similar three-light window to the left. The west end is blind except for a breather at the gable apex. The three eastern bays display 19th-century three-light Perpendicular windows with hood moulds and buttresses between them. The east end has a similar three-light window. The south porch is two-storey, standing on a tall chamfered plinth with an ashlar embattled parapet and granite quoins. A two-centred arched doorway in elvan stone has two chamfered orders. Above is a single cusped light beneath a hood mould. The west side has a polygonal stair tower with a louvred ventilator. The east side features a two-light cusped window in elvan stone at first-floor level with a square hood mould. The interior of this porch contains a slate floor and stone benches to either side, with a 19th-century roof. The inner doorway has a four-centred arch in elvan stone with a moulded surround and cushion stops, the inner moulding decorated with ballflower ornament, and a hood mould featuring mask stops. Nineteenth-century double plank doors with good ironwork are fitted here.

The north transept displays a four-light 19th-century Perpendicular window with Y-tracery, angle buttresses and a stack to the west with a polygonal shaft. A single-storey 19th-century vestry is attached to the north. The south transept lacks a plinth and has weathered angle buttresses of 18th and 19th-century date, with a four-light window featuring lancets and tracery, a two-centred arch and hood mould.

The west tower rises in four stages on a chamfered plinth with weathered set-back buttresses. It features an embattled parapet with octagonal crocketed pinnacles and a weathervane to the north west. An external stair tower with lancets is set to the west. The first stage contains a three-light 19th-century Perpendicular window to the west. The tower is open at ground floor with an archway running north to south, formed by two-centred arches with deep chamfers and cushion stops. The interior at ground floor has a 19th-century roof on corbels. The west doorway to the nave displays a four-centred arch with deep chamfer, bar and cushion stops, fitted with 19th-century double doors of good ironwork. A narrow doorway to the stair tower is set to the west. Attached to the west wall is a tapered stone coffin slab with the remains of a carved stone cross, and a granite monolith wheelhead cross approximately 1.5 metres high, carved with a raised Latin cross. The third stage of the tower has clocks to the north and south and a cusped lancet to the south. The fourth stage features three-light Perpendicular bell-openings with slate louvres, cusped lights, four-centred arches and hood moulds.

The interior is fitted with a slate floor and plastered walls. The nave, transepts and aisles feature wagon roofs, ceiled, with 15th-century carved ribs, wall-plates and bosses. The east end of the south aisle has a 19th-century wagon roof. The chancel contains a fine 19th-century Perpendicular-style rood screen and a panelled and painted wagon roof. The east end of the north aisle has an arched brace roof with three rows of purlins and two tiers of wooden braces. The nave has a three-light 19th-century Perpendicular west window. Three-bay north and south arcades have piers with four outer shafts and inner mouldings, ring-moulded capitals and two-centred moulded arches. The chancel contains a two-bay north arcade with Pevsner A-type piers and a two-bay south arcade with piers matching those in the nave, all of Beer stone. Similar arches are found to the east and west of the transepts. A rood stair is set into the north arcade. The north and south aisles have pointed arched doorways leading to the stair towers.

The furnishings include 19th-century benches with 15th-century carved bench ends, a 19th-century carved wooden pulpit in the nave, and 19th-century wooden screens to the north and south of the chancel with open cusped arcades. A 19th-century reredos and lectern occupy the nave. An octagonal stone font of circa 1300, with carved sides including five masks, stands in the south aisle on a central stem with clustered outer shafts. A letter of thanks from Charles II, executed in oil on board in a moulded frame, is displayed in the north aisle. Fragments of an 18th-century balustrade with turned balusters survive in the north aisle. A fine 19th-century Gothic vestment wardrobe is positioned at the east end of the south aisle.

The monument collection includes an 18th-century slate tablet surmounted by a shield of arms with a putto on the apron at the east end of the north aisle, with other monuments not readily accessible. The church contains 19th-century stained glass throughout.