Church Of St Andrew

Church of St Andrew

A small parish church with Norman origins, substantially rebuilt and extended over several centuries. The church comprises a nave and chancel under continuous roof, a north aisle and chapel under a parallel roof, a west tower, and a small south porch.

The church is constructed principally of Drewsteignton rubble including some granite, volcanic and red sandstone, with granite dressings and tracery (restored with Beer stone where necessary). The south porch is built of volcanic and granite ashlar, and the tower of large coursed blocks of volcanic and granite ashlar. All roofs are slated.

The most prominent feature is the relatively large and little-restored west tower of two stages. It has diagonal buttresses with offsets to ground and first stage, an embattled parapet, and crocketted pinnacles. The tower contains 2-light belfry windows on each face with elliptical heads. The west face displays a round-headed door with hoodmould and above it a 3-light Perpendicular window with granite tracery and hoodmould, with the lower drip mould carried around the top of the window. The north side of the tower has a series of tiny slit windows serving the newel stair.

The south porch is small with a rounded arch, kneelers with coping to the gable end, a ceiled roof with moulded ridge and wall plates, and stone seats each side. To the left of the porch is an early 16th-century 2-light window. To the right, a 20th-century restored Beer stone 2-light window with cinquefoil heads and hoodmould is followed by early 16th-century windows of 1 and 2 lights. At the chancel, a small priest's door with a round head made from a single slab of granite gives access. At the east end is a primitive 2-light early Decorated window with plate-like granite tracery punched through the wall surface. The east corner has massive granite quoins.

Most windows to the nave, chancel and aisle are early 16th-century work, featuring square-headed granite windows with round-headed lights, hollow-chamfered surrounds and sunk spandrels. The south wall of the nave and chancel has been raised up, evidenced by quoins at the east end. The east chancel window is a 3-light window with red sandstone hoodmould and a relieving arch over, typical of early 16th-century design. The east window of the north chapel is arch-headed with simple Perpendicular tracery and two granite mullions with round heads to the outer lights, with a hoodmould above. The north aisle has three windows of early 16th-century date, all 3-light granite windows with hoodmoulds.

The east gable has been 20th-century restored with sandstone kneelers, coping and a finial with a cross fleuree.

The interior preserves considerable architectural interest. Continuous ceiled wagon roofs cover the north aisle and north chapel, and the nave and chancel. The north aisle and chapel roof is early 16th-century work with moulded ribs to the aisle and carved ribs to the chapel, with the break between them marked by a more ornately curved truss. Carved oak bosses and wall plates carved as fern leaves are evident throughout. The nave and chancel roof is probably late 16th-century with ovolo-moulded ribs with straight-cut stops. Only the carved bosses mark the break between nave and chancel. The northern wall plate rests awkwardly on a series of corbels, and the roof is lower than the tower arch, suggesting it replaced a medieval roof.

A 4-bay granite arcade of slender moulded piers (of Pevsner's Cornish A type) with undecorated capitals supports the north aisle. The fourth arch is between the chancel and north chapel. The tower arch is tall and plain with a double-chamfered arch ring. The belfry floor, dating to the late 16th or early 17th century, is of moulded intersecting beams.

The floor is flagged throughout the nave and aisle and includes several 16th- and 17th-century grave slabs, one dated 1568. A slab with an inscribed cross of Botonee type in crude perspective is set in the centre of the chancel floor in front of the altar rail. It is flanked by gravestones of John Pulton (died 1601) and his son Samuel Pulton (died 1654), both former rectors.

The Norman font, of black basalt, is positioned in the rear arch of the arcade. It has a square step and thin square base with shallow ring mouldings of almost water-holding section, a plain drum shaft of three blocks, and a square top with a large single incised zig-zag on its outward-sloping faces. The bowl is a circular lead-lined tub.

The original box pews were replaced in 1926, but two are retained in the north chapel. These have relatively plain oak-panelled sides and are inscribed: "This was built at the cost of Thomas Furse of Eastchurch, Gent, 1610". Other furnishings are of late 19th- or early 20th-century date, including a mahogany handrail on wrought iron posts and a brass lectern. All mural monuments have been removed, but painted arms of George III dated 1819 remain in the north aisle.

The church underwent restoration in 1914, was refurnished in 1926, and underwent further restoration in 1967. The nave roof and south porch may date to the late 16th century.