Church Of St Mary Magdalene

MONKTON MONKTON ST 10 SE 10/88 Church of St Mary Magdalene 22.2.55 GV II* Parisn church. Parts of the tower are C15, the rest rebuilt in 1863 by J. Hayward. Local stone rubble with Bathstone ashlar dressings and detail; slate roof with crested ridgetiles. Plan: essentially a single phase church. Nave with narrower chancel, under a continous roof, south porch and west tower. Lean-to vestry on the north side of the chancel. The tower is Perpendicular in style, the nave is Early English and the chancel is Decorated. Exterior: 2-stage west tower with low diagonal buttresses and semi-hexagonal stair turret on south side. Embattled parapet over a moulded cornice enriched with carvings and carved gargoyle water spouts. Tall transomed 2-light belfry windows with trefoil-headed lights. West doorway is a 2-centred arch with moulded surround and hoodmould with rosettes carved on the label stops. Directly above is a 2-light window with Perpendicular tracery and hoodmould. The north and south side of the nave are 4 bays; alternate lancets and 2-light windows with plate tracery. On the south side is a gabled porch with a 2-centred outer arch with moulded surround. The south doorway is similar and has a painted text round its head. The chancel has a lancet on the south side and a 3-light east window, both containing Perpendicular tracery. Interior: nave and chancel under a continous open 6-bay roof carried on arch-braced king post trusses and texts are painted along the wall plate. Probably C15 tower arch is Beerstone and panelled. There is no chancel arch; the break is articulated by the narrowing of the church at the chancel. There is a continuous embattled cornice around the walls. The walls are painted (covering a William Morris painted stencil design). The floor is of red and black tiles. The furniture and fittings are all original, that is to say circa 1863. These include a brass altar rail with twisted standards and leafy brackets; the pulpit, reading desk, stalls and benches are all stained pine and plain with a minimum of Gothic detail. C15 style Beerstone font. There are no memorials apart from a plaque recording the gift of the bells and glass (the windows are dated 1889). There are some painted prayer and commandment plaques. The glory of the church is complete set of William Morris stained glass windows. Source: Devon C19 Church Project.

Listing NGR: ST1874003106