Church Of St Andrew

The Church of St Andrew, Colebrooke, is a parish church of Transitional Norman origins. The present structure comprises a late 13th to early 14th century nave, chancel and south transept. The south transept, known as the Horwell Aisle, was built as a chantry by Sir Walter de Bathe. The tower dates from the 15th century. The north aisle and chapel were built circa 1460 in memory of John Coplestone, who died in 1457. The south porch is late 15th to early 16th century. The church was reseated and restored in 1854, with minor renovation work circa 1890, and the tower was restored in 1925-6.

The walls are constructed of volcanic stone and red sandstone, mostly roughly squared and laid to courses, but with neat ashlar to the tower and porch. Most original detail is of volcanic ashlar, with some Beerstone, whilst 19th century restoration detail is of Bathstone ashlar. The roofs are slate. The architectural styles are Decorated and Perpendicular. The plan comprises nave and chancel under a continuous roof, with a south transept and porch, a west tower, and a north aisle with an east end chapel.

The west tower is high and built in four stages with a chamfered plinth, diagonal buttresses and an embattled parapet with corner pinnacles enriched with Tudor crockettes and standing on diagonally-set shafts. On the north side a stair turret projects with canted sides, its own embattled parapet and small slit windows. The belfry windows are large and partly restored in Beerstone. Each has three lights with cinquefoil heads, a central transom and a square-headed hood. On the west side is a 15th century volcanic stone two-centred arch with a richly-moulded surround and cushion stops. On the left inside edge are carved the initials I.C. and the date 1674. It contains a 19th century plank door hung on large wrought iron strap hinges with side and end scrolls. The window above is a complete 19th century Bathstone replacement, a three-light Perpendicular style window, its volcanic arched hood interrupting the lower drip course. Below each of the upper dripcourses on this side are small rectangular niches. The south side has a 15th century two-light Beerstone window in similar style to the belfry windows, immediately above the centre dripcourse, the bottom of which is hidden by a 19th century wooden octagonal clockface with painted Roman numerals and brass hands. Lower on the wall is a slate sundial in an architectural terracotta aedicule with flanking Ionic pilasters and a tented and scrolled pediment. It is signed by Harry Hems of Exeter and dated 1889. The tower is surmounted by a 19th century wrought iron weather vane.

The south wall of the nave shows remains of a Transitional Norman arcade blocked in the late 13th to early 14th century, presumably when a south aisle was demolished. The arches, though not complete, suggest a series of pointed rather than round-headed arches. They have plain red sandstone imposts. The lower wall has been underbuilt when the arches were filled and early 14th century windows inserted: two to the left of the porch and one to the right. These are volcanic stone two-light early Decorated windows with trefoil headed lights, a quatrefoil in the arched head and moulded hood. The window to the right of the porch has mullion and tracery missing and has a heavy stanchion with saddle bars of probably late 18th to early 19th century date.

The south porch is built of ashlar. It is gabled with kneelers and soffit-chamfered coping and a base for an apex cross. The tall two-centred outer arch has a chamfered surround.

The south transept is late 13th to early 14th century, of squared blocks of coursed masonry. The gable end has a volcanic stone early Decorated three-light window. The lights have acutely-pointed cinquefoil heads, original tracery and a hood similarly moulded to those on the nave. The east side of the transept has a similar two-light early Decorated window.

The south side of the chancel has two 19th century Bathstone two-light replacement windows: Decorated style to the left and Perpendicular style to the right. Between them is a restored 16th century red sandstone round-headed priests door with ovolo-moulded surround, containing a 19th century plank door with strap hinges. The east end is much restored with Bathstone kneelers, coping and apex fleuree cross. The east window is a large replacement four-light Perpendicular style window with probably original arched hood with labels carved as angels with shields bearing heraldic achievements: one featuring arms of the sees of Exeter and Winchester, the other of Bishop Oldham (1504-19).

The east end of the north aisle is set back slightly with the gable end restored in the same way as the east end of the chancel. It contains a large, almost round-headed three-light window with Flamboyant drop tracery including repeated ogee arches. Although the window is completely 19th century, it is believed to be a copy of the original 15th century design. As such it is very unusual and a fine example by English standards. The north side of the aisle is flanked by angle buttresses and contains five identical 15th century three-light Perpendicular windows with buttresses between. There is a round-headed priests door with chamfered surround towards the left end and an apparently original chimney shaft of volcanic ashlar serving a fireplace in the Coplestone Chapel. The west end of the aisle contains a restored square-headed three-light window with cusped cinquefoil round-headed lights. A lead rainwater head in the angle between the aisle and tower is dated 1728.

The interior is very good. The porch has stone seats on each side and a late 15th to early 16th century ceiled wagon roof with moulded ribs springing from below the wall plate. There are remains of a stoup to the right of the door. The south doorway is a two-centred volcanic stone arch. Its chamfered surround has a rebate cut into it to accommodate the 19th century plank door.

The nave, aisle and chancel have ceiled wagon roofs. The nave roof is late 15th to early 16th century and a larger version of that in the porch. The plaster ceiling is laid on oak laths and is probably original. The north aisle roof is original (circa 1460). It also has no bosses but the ribs have a different moulding and spring from the top of a plain wall plate. The chancel roof may contain some 15th or early 16th century carpentry but has been heavily restored with 19th century oak panels, good carved bosses and an embattled wall plate.

There is no chancel arch. The tall plain tower arch is now blocked with a 19th century benefaction board mounted on the front. A plaque to the left of the arch records the restoration of the tower, pinnacles and bell chamber windows in 1925-6. There are plain beams to the ringing floor. The tiny doorway to the tower stairs is a volcanic stone two-centred arch with chamfered surround and contains the original plank door hung on strap hinges.

The late 13th to early 14th century arch from nave to south transept has a chamfered double arch ring of volcanic stone on plain semi-circular responds with shallow, soffit-chamfered imposts. Although the arch looks as though it could be Norman-Transitional work it does not relate well to the rest of the blocked arcade. On either side of the arch are round-headed squints: that to the west affording a view of the chantry altar (since removed) from the nave, and that to the east affording a view of the high altar from the chantry. In the transept the walls are stripped of plaster. There is a piscina with a plain arched hood on the east side. Below the south window are two recesses with graceful ogee-arched canopies, which doubtless surmounted tombs of the Bathe family. The floor was raised in the 19th century and the right recess includes a badly defaced graveslab in memory of Elizabeth Poyntingdon of Pennicott (died 1627).

Between the nave and aisle is a five-bay Beerstone arcade with one bay overlapping into the chancel. The piers are moulded (Pevsner's B-Type) with carved foliate capitals. The capital between nave and chancel includes the Coplestone arms and the wall above is pierced for the rood gallery (the nave screen was removed in 1805).

The chapel screen across the north aisle and the parclose do survive. They are similar oak screens probably dating from circa 1460 and very unusual, being probably the work of imported Breton craftsmen. The aisle screen is five bays with a central double door. There is a moulded sole plate and the lower wainscotting has linenfold panelling. The windows above are tall with slender mullions enriched with twisted ornament and the tracery is flamboyant in style based on ogival and mouchette forms infilled with an incredibly delicate filigree of tracery. The pairs of ogee heads in each light had more English looking applied crocketted ogees with poppyhead finials, some of which survive. The flattened ogee-headed doorway was apparently intended for a different door although the double doors hung on unusually shaped butterfly hinges seem coeval with the screen. The headbeam has a simple moulding and has mortises in the top for a series of finials. The five-bay parclose is similar but not identical. The tracery of one of the windows here has a cleverly balanced asymmetry. The head is unmoulded and has a series of finials with crocketted heads which include slots up each side for decorative crestwork. The chapel door is probably original and has an oak draw-bar. The fireplace alongside has been blocked, and on the south side is a recess in the shape of a blocked window.

The floors throughout the church have been replaced with 19th century tile and in places levels have been altered. Some defaced graveslabs are included, the oldest is in the north aisle in memory of John Coplestone (died 1457) and his wife Catherine (died 1467). In the chancel is a very fine altar and reredos of 1896 by Harry Hems, the gift of Francis Synge Silliphant of Combe House. Built of oak in Gothic style the reredos features a marble relief representation of the Descent of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost by the Silliphant family and their friends. It is flanked by the figures of St Andrew and John the Baptist. The 19th century oak altar rail is supported on reused 18th century turned balusters. The oak choir stalls are late 19th century. The pulpit dates from 1903 by Dart and Francis. The lectern is the drum of an 18th century hexagonal pulpit built of pine with mahogany veneer and panelled sides.

A unique survival is the mid 15th century oak prie-dieu, now moved from the Coplestone Chapel to the nave. There is linenfold panelling on the front and back and the desk and bench ends are carved with grotesque figures framed by wreathed foliage. The seat panel features a robed figure holding a branch or palm in one hand and the Coplestone arms in the other; the desk panel features a scaly-skinned 'wild man' armed with a club and holding the arms of the George family. Philip Coplestone married Ann Bonville (of the George family). Some of the benches and most of the bench ends are probably late 15th to early 16th century. The ends have frames of wreathed foliage springing from vases and panels are carved with various patterns of Perpendicular tracery. One, in the north aisle, is unfinished. The chapel has a 17th century table as an altar.

The font is late Decorated to early Perpendicular in Beerstone. It has an octagonal bowl with sides carved with square panels containing quatrefoils, and alternate panels including a shield, with a floriated valance around the base. The stem is tapering with panelled sides and moulded base. There is a fine early 17th century ribbed oak ogee font cover surmounted by a carved double-faced figure, believed to be a cleric in minor orders, wearing amice, alb and girdle. It was later given wings in the mistaken belief it represented an angel. It now has a late Victorian chain and counterweight in the form of a gilt-brass crown.

The church has some good mural memorials. The best is the Lady Elizabeth Coryton (died 1677) memorial on the north side of the chancel. It comprises a rectangular slate plaque with sonnet obituary in a Beerstone bolection frame enriched with carved acanthus leaf. It has architectural framing with flanking free-standing Corinthian columns and a dentil cornice over cherubs heads. Above this is a scrolled pediment with central and smaller flanking heraldic cartouches and cherubs reclining on the scrolls. Either side are wings with foliage and masks. The soffit-moulded sill is carried on scroll consoles enriched with grotesque faces with a shaped apron between including a skull and cross bones motif set in a bay leaf garland. The traces of ancient colour suggest marbled decoration. To the left is the 19th century Silliphant mural memorial in white marble which comprises a set of five plaques to various members of the family who died between 1822-94 with a moulded cornice surmounted by a pediment in which is a sunburst motif.

On the south side of the chancel is the Margaret Burrington of West Sandford mural memorial (died 1666) which comprises a rectangular slate plaque in moulded Beerstone frame surmounted by crowned skulls on pedestals and a lozenge-shaped heraldic achievement in a cartouche. Next to it is a memorial to Anne Burrington of West Sandford (died 1659) in a Beerstone frame enriched with egg and dart. Both Burrington memorials include obituaries and Anne's is unusually original.

In the Coplestone chapel are three 19th century mural memorials: a white marble memorial in Tudor Gothic style to members of the Hanlyn family who died between 1777 and 1846, a white marble sarcophagus-shaped plaque on black marble base in memory of Ellen May Pickering (died 1853), and a plain white marble memorial to Hugh Horatio Knocker who died of fever at Jellah Coffee, West Africa in 1869. In the north aisle is an Art Nouveau brass plaque on wooden base in memory of Frederick Arscott (died 1925) which includes enamel insets resembling cloisonné representing angels. Over the south door a painted board with arms of Queen Victoria is dated 1865.

On the floor of the south transept are two Beerstone carved grotesque heads presumably from the Norman-Transitional corbel table. There are two 17th century oak chests in the north aisle: one with variously shaped panels along the front made up of planted mouldings, and another with a panelled front and gouged scrollwork along the sides and an arcade along the top rail. There is also a plain 17th century oak hutch in the north aisle and another in the south transept.

Most of the windows have been reglazed and have lost their ferramenta in the 20th century except on the south side of the nave, the transept and the east window.

The church is an important local landmark and has particularly rich fittings and furnishings, some of which are unique.