Church Of St Giles

LITTLE TORRINGTON LITTLE TORRINGTON SS 41 NE 16/125 Church of St Giles - GV II*

Parish church. C15, restored 1852-8 by Rev. George de. C. Guille the rector at that time. Stone rubble walls, rendered to the tower. Gable ended slate roofs. Plan: Nave, south aisle and porch, west tower. The church appears entirely Perpendicular in style, and was heavily restored in 1852-8 when the chancel was enlarged and the north and south walls partly rebuilt. The tower was restored in 1898 when its screen and new oak stalls were put in. Exterior: 3 stage west tower with diagonal buttresses, castellated parapets with obelisk finials. 2 light belfry openings with 4-centred arches. C15 4-centred arched west doorway with roll and hollow moulding and inscribed scroll stops. Slits for stair on north side of tower. North wall of nave has 3 Perpendicular 2 and 3- light red sandstone windows. Gabled C19 vestry projects from north end of chancel. 3-light restored Perpendicular east windows with carved headstops. C15 style cinquefoiled restored light on south chancel wall. South aisle has Perpendicular style restored red sandstone windows. Gabled south porch with C15 4-centred arched doorway with roll moulding and early C19 panelled doors. Interior: Medieval wagon roof to porch with moulded ribs, carved bosses and wall- plates. South doorway has 4-centred chamfered rubble arch with contemporary heavy studded plank door with cover stips. Internal walls have C20 render apart from stencil decoration to chancel walls. 4 bay arcade to Pevsner A-type piers with various religious devices carved on capitals. Moulded 4-centred arches. Tall 4-centred double chamfered tower arch. The pulpit dates from the restoration but incorporates older carving reputedly from the old rood screen. Roofs have been entirely restored but copied from originals. Norman front of subdivided cushion shape on C15 stem with colonnetes at corners. Good memorial on north wall of white marble to Henry Stevens of Cross (q.v.) who died 1802. Above the inscribed plaque is a bas relief of a mourning woman in classical robes leaning over a sarcophagas. There are various other early-mid C17 marble memorials mainly to members of the Stevens family. Sources: Kelly's Directory 1906 ; Churches in the Deanery of Torrington - Brixton Cresswell.

Listing NGR: SS4910116851