Church Of St Andrew

Church of St Andrew

A Grade I listed parish church at Harberton comprising a 14th-century chancel, nave and north and south aisles dating to circa 1436, and a west tower and south porch of the late 15th or early 16th century. The church has been restored in 1861, 1871–72, and 1885–86.

The exterior is built of local slate rubble with red sandstone dressings. Original windows are of Beerstone, though many have been replaced in the 19th century with Bathstone. The roofs are of slate, with the chancel roof having a steeper pitch.

A church or oratory stood on the site in the 12th century. The building originally belonged to the Canons of Old Sarum, who held West Alvington with its dependent chapels. In 1245 the church was assigned to the Canons of St Peters Exeter, who rebuilt it. The existing chancel dates from the 14th century, but in 1436 Bishop Lacy granted an indulgence for the rebuilding of the church, which resulted in the construction of the nave and aisles. The west tower and south porch were built in the late 15th or early 16th century. A gallery at the west end of the nave, recorded by Davidson in 1847, remained intact in 1903 despite the various restorations. Major Tristford of Tristford oversaw the restoration work in 1885–86.

The chancel, though heavily restored in the 19th century, retains a carved stone wall plate and a slightly battered base. The priest's door on the south side has a 2-centred arch with double ogee moulding. The south and east windows are 19th-century Perpendicular style, with the south window having 3 lights and the east window 4 lights.

The tall, slightly tapered west tower rises in three stages with set-back buttresses and set-offs. A continuous strip marks the stage levels, and there is an embattled parapet with possibly 19th-century square pinnacles with crocketted finials. A polygonal stair turret of the centre of the south side has battlements that rise above the tower parapet level. The bell openings have 2 lights with cusped lights and straight heads with hoodmoulds. The 3-light Perpendicular west window appears to be a 19th-century replacement. A granite 2-centred arch west doorway has double ogee moulding.

The north and south aisles have a chamfered plinth continuing from the tower and embattled parapets with moulded sandstone coping and cornice. The north aisle features four 4-light Beerstone windows with segmental heads and Perpendicular tracery with Y-bars. The east window on the north side has a 2-centred arch with 3 lights and Perpendicular tracery, as do the similar 3-light east and west windows of the north aisle. Most of the north aisle tracery appears to be original, though the mullions have been replaced. Between the windows on the north side are slender buttresses with set-offs. Near the east end is a polygonal rood stair turret with battlements and small quatrefoil lights. The south aisle is similar to the north aisle but lacks the rood stair turret. All its windows have been replaced in the 19th century in Bathstone except for the east window on the south side.

The south porch is of the late 15th or early 16th century and rises two storeys. It has battlements with square crocketted finials and diagonal buttresses with set-offs. A polygonal stair turret in the west angle with the south aisle has quatrefoil lights. The outer doorway has a 2-centred arch with composite moulding, quatrefoils and mouchettes in the spandrels, all within an outer order of moulding with a straight head. Above the doorway is a sundial with an ogee head and a 2-light square-headed window. A holy water stoup with ogee head is positioned on the outside wall of the porch to the left of the doorway. Inside the porch is a fine 2-bay ribbed vault with blind arcades to the sides. The shafts have carved capitals, and large carved bosses mark the intersections of the ribs. The inner south doorway has a 2-centred arch with ogee, double ogee and hollow mouldings and cushion stops, with a 19th-century door featuring strap hinges.

Interior

All internal walls are plastered with much appearing to be original plaster. The tower interior is unplastered, and the unmoulded 2-centred tower arch has imposts at the springings. All the hollow chamfered rear arches of the windows appear to be original.

The church has fine Beerstone north and south arcades with A-type piers (Pevsner classification). Only the shafts have capitals, which are carved with foliage. The nave and chancel are unified and have a ceiled waggon roof appearing to date from the 15th century, with moulded wall plates and ribs and carved bosses at the intersections, all painted. The narrow north and south aisles also have waggon roofs with Tudor arches, likely 19th-century in date, though their carved bosses are probably reused from an earlier roof.

The chancel contains a trefoil-headed piscina and a fine 14th-century triple sedilia with crocketted ogee arches and crocketted pinnacles between. A late 19th-century stone reredos adopts the same Decorated motifs. Another piscina is located in the south aisle.

A 15th-century carved stone pulpit stands octagonal with ornate shafts between six canopied niches with poppyheads containing figures of saints. A Norman font of red sandstone has a deep round bowl on a low circular shaft. The bowl is decorated with a frieze of ten medallions of star pattern, a cable mould below, and double fluting beneath that.

A carved lectern by the Misses Pinwell was given in 1911. The tower screen is also by the Misses Pinwell. A restored rood screen extends across the church with A-type tracery (Pevsner), pier casing with triple canopied niches, and two friezes of ornament in the cornice. This screen was restored in 1871 by Mrs Pendarves of Tristford, who painted new wainscot panels; some of the old painted panels are displayed in the north aisle. An old parclose screen also survives.

The benches may date from the 1861 reseating and are made of softwood with panelled traceried ends. The gallery of 1826 at the west end has been removed. Oak choir stalls are later additions with poppyheads. A late 19th-century wrought iron altar rail is present. A carved Royal Arms of Queen Anne is positioned over the south door. A hatchment is displayed in the south aisle.

Monuments include a late 17th-century aedicule monument to Thomas Ridons in the east end of the south aisle, with an apron containing a swag and skull and cross-bones with a wreath. Another wall monument with a Latin inscription commemorates Dorothea Risdon, 1663. A wall monument to Nicolai Browse, dated 1696, features a cartouche with a Latin inscription on the south side of the south aisle. In the north aisle is a recumbent effigy of a youth titled "Tito", Robert Harvey, dated 1895, by H Hems. Various other wall monuments are present throughout.

Stained glass windows include a good window of 1861 in the south aisle and another of 1875 in the east window of the south aisle. Two further good 19th-century windows are located in the north aisle.

The bells were cast by Thomas Bilbie in 1762 and were rehung in 1896, when the fourth bell was recast.