Church Of St Paul

Church of St Paul

This is a parish church with a complex building history spanning several centuries. The chancel dates to the 13th century, while the nave, tower, and north aisle were constructed in the 15th century. The north and south transepts were added in the early 16th century, and the chancel underwent restoration in 1870.

The church is built of rubble stone with ashlar dressings, and features a slate roof with coped gable ends and apex crosses.

The western tower rises in three stages and is distinguished by set-back buttresses with offset wings to the top of the second stage only. An embattled parapet with corner gargoyles crowns the tower. On the north-east side, a polygonal stair turret with battlements rises above the main tower, pierced by 7 slit windows lighting the spiral staircase and surmounted by a weathercock. The tower displays square-headed bell openings on each side containing 2 pointed arched lights with louvres, stone voussoirs to the relieving arches, and hoodmoulds. Below the plat band, each side (except the east) has a square-headed single light window with stanchions and saddle bars. The west side features a 3-light pointed arched window with hoodmould and Perpendicular tracery, positioned above a pointed arched doorway with hoodmould and large pyramid stops to the jambs, surrounded by a casement-and-ogee moulded frame. Near the base on the south side is a square-headed window.

The nave's south side contains a 3-light pointed arched window with Perpendicular tracery and human head corbels to the hoodmould. To its right stands an embattled parapet to the south porch, with a gargoyle at the south-west corner. The south porch doorway is pointed arched with a hoodmould corbelled out with human heads and paterae around the hollow chamfer of a Pevsner 'A' type moulded surround. The inner porch door is similarly decorated on a smaller scale and without a hoodmould. The south porch contains a fine ceiled waggon roof 2 panels wide with heavy carved bosses at each intersection of the central moulded rib and end ribs and purlins.

The south transept has a short gable-ended slate roof set parallel to the nave with an embattled parapet and gargoyles at the corner. It displays 3-light Perpendicular windows to the south and east sides with hoodmoulds corbelled out with human heads. A slate sundial dated 1768 is positioned to the right. A pointed arch priest doorway with hoodmould and plank door occupies the wall, alongside a squat 3-light Perpendicular window to the right.

The east chancel window is 3-lights with Perpendicular tracery and a plain hoodmould. A small lancet window to the north side is deeply splayed on its inner face. The vestry has a round ashlar shaft to the stack with offsets, and a square-headed window on its north side of 2 ogee-headed lights with hoodmould.

The north aisle has a 3-light Perpendicular window at its east end with hoodmould, and a buttress to the right with offsets. Two 3-light Perpendicular windows appear on the north side of the north aisle, with a large 4-light Perpendicular window at the west end.

The north transept has an embattled parapet and a 3-light late Perpendicular window on its north side with hoodmould.

The interior contains fine ceiled waggon roofs to the nave and north aisle, both with heavy carved bosses at the intersections of the ribs and longitudinal members. The north aisle roof has richly carved foliated wall plates. The nave ribs are corbelled out with stone-carved human heads. The chancel roof possibly reuses some early timber in the moulded arch-braces to the single central truss. A tall pointed unmoulded tower arch flanked by buttresses with offsets dominates the space. The north aisle features a 3-bay Perpendicular arcade with Pevsner 'B' type piers, but with capitals only to the main arches. Perpendicular arches serve the south and north transepts, the south transept arch having foliated capitals. A 19th-century pointed chancel arch and a squint from the south transept into the chancel (with a 4-centred arch and double hollow moulded surround) complete the architectural features. The nave contains 19th and 20th-century furniture.

A 15th-century font occupies the interior, featuring a tall octagonal stem with mouchette traceried panels and an octagonal lead-lined bowl decorated with blind quatrefoils on each facet, with traces of ancient colour visible.

The south transept houses an impressive standing wall monument to the Acland family on its west side. A central achievement in a scrolled broken pediment with acroteria is composed of shields with grotesque heads on each facet of the supporting plinths. Pilasters flank 2 round-arched plaques divided by a central pilaster. Semi-reclining male and female figures occupy the spandrels with a central cherubs head. The left plaque records the death of Elynor, daughter and coheir of Robert Malet of Wolleigh, Devon, who was the wife of Sir Arthur Acland of Acland and subsequently married Sir Francis Vincent of Stoke Daubernon, Surrey. She died in 1645. The right plaque bears a Latin inscription to Arthur Acland, who died in 1610. The marble table top displays Lady Acland recumbent with small male and female figures praying at her head and feet respectively. Behind her and slightly elevated is Sir Arthur semi-reclining, with a bird of prey clutching a gauntlet at his feet. Three shields beside the chest bear corner pilasters carved with various emblems of death.

Adjacent to the south transept altar is a 14th-century stone effigy of a lady. At the east end of the north aisle are recumbent effigies of a cross-legged knight with the upper part of his body turned, said to represent Sir Robert de Beaupel, circa 1320, and his wife wearing a wimple.

A stone wall monument on the north wall of the north aisle features a pediment swept up to a classical urn flanked by torches, with a cherubs head to a scalloped base and a plaque recording members of the Squier family, erected by Richard Squier in 1729.

A tablet on the south wall of the nave displays a broken pediment with a central lozenge containing a shield and a moulded stone surround, bearing a plaque to Elya Estmond who died in 1695.

Charity boards and a table of burial fees are displayed on the north wall of the tower.

Stained glass appears in the chancel chapel east window.