Gateway And Railings To The Churchyard Of The Parish Church Of The Holy Cross

The gateway and railings to the churchyard of the Parish Church of the Holy Cross in Crediton date from the 19th century. The wall to the west was built in 1829 by mason John Berry, while the iron gate was made by Jonas Pollard, an ironmonger from Crediton. The wall, gatepiers, and gates to the south were constructed in 1838, with the design of the gates and ironwork attributed to John and Thomas Pollard, also ironmongers from Crediton. The railings to the east and north are likely from the 1830s.

The structure is made of granite and local volcanic trap rubble, with cast iron railings and gates. The south wall, which faces East Street, features large blocks of granite ashlar with granite coping, although the railings are currently missing. The gateway has tall square-section granite piers that frame a wide central entrance, flanked by smaller pedestrian gates. These piers have deep moulded plinths and flat-topped granite caps. The central gateway includes an overthrow adorned with wrought iron scrolls and a lamp-holder with a finial.

The large gates have a dog rail and a high rail decorated with quatrefoils, along with braces between the dog and high rails. Below the dog rail, the vertical bars are topped with spear finials, and there are urn finials on the standards. The pedestrian gates share a similar design. There is also a gateway opposite the west door that mirrors this design, featuring a wrought iron overthrow with a lamp-holder.

The railings on the east and north sides of the churchyard rest on low walls with granite coping and include columnar standards with urn finials, with spear finials on the verticals. The railings at the southeast corner have a slightly different design, likely from 1911, coinciding with the erection of the Buller memorial. This gateway and railings are significant to the setting of the church and serve as an interesting example of late Georgian and early Victorian gates, with precise dating.