Royal Citadel Church Of St Catherine

PLYMOUTH

SX4853NW THE BARBICAN 740-1/67/869 Royal Citadel: Church of St Catherine

GV II

Church (Royal Chapel) at fort. 1667-1688 on site of C14 chapel, enlarged and partly rebuilt in 1845, the E wall of the chancel rebuilt following damage in World War II and the chancel renovated. Plymouth limestone rubble and Plymouth limestone brought to course for the 1845 parts; dry slate roofs with coped gables. STYLE: Early Gothic style detail. PLAN: cruciform plan with the main roof running north-south plus porches in the NW and SW angles and an organ loft in the SE angle; galleries to each arm of the cross except the chancel. EXTERIOR: pointed arched windows, the larger windows lighting the sides of the nave, chancel and transepts with Y tracery and there are triple lancets to light the gallery at the N and S ends. Principal N doorway has a moulded round arch and a square hoodmould; other doorways have pointed arches; original 1845 doors. INTERIOR: has its 1845 plastered ceiling divided into panels with moulded ribs and cornices, except for the chancel ceiling which has painted decoration; original galleries with wrought-iron balustrades over moulded entablature carried on quatrefoil-section cast-iron paired stanchions. FITTINGS: painted stone octagonal font with moulded base and cornices and blind Gothic arcading; possibly original loose pews with railed backs to galleries. Other fittings are late C19 including octagonal pulpit with blind Gothic tracery and pews with shaped ends. MONUMENTS: many monuments to the soldiers of the fort including 2 Tudor Gothic style marble monuments flanking the E end to N and S walls to Patrick Doull Calder, Royal Engineers, died 1857 aged 70, and to William Cuthbert Elphinstone Holloway C B, Colonel Commanding Royal Engineer W Dist, died in the Citadel, 4th September 1850, who served in the Peninsular campaigns of 1810, 1811 and 1812. One of the buildings associated with this outstanding C17 fort, designed by Sir Bernard de Gomme.

Listing NGR: SX4806753752