Church Of Saint George And All Saints

Church of Saint George and All Saints, Beaford

This substantial parish church consists of a late 15th-century nave, chancel, aisles and porch. It underwent significant restoration in 1878-79 when it was reseated and the windows reglazed. The Upcott aisle was restored, apparently largely rebuilt (evidenced by a straight joint between nave and aisle), in 1879 at the expense of T. W. Snell Esquire. The tower was first rebuilt in 1802, then again in 1909-10 to the designs of Mr Harbottle Reed at a cost of £1,100.

The church is built of squared and coursed stone, some 19th-century work being tooled, and uncoursed stone rubble, with limestone and granite ashlar dressings. The roofs are gable-ended Welsh slate with tile ridge cresting. The tower is constructed of snecked dressed stone with limewash ashlar dressings and is topped by a stumpy Welsh-slate broach spire with lead finial.

Plan and Development

The church comprises a 15th-century four-bay nave and one-bay chancel built as one unit, a 15th-century four-bay south aisle with a 15th-century porch in the second bay from the west, and a one-bay north chancel chapel known as the Upcott aisle. A lateral north tower stands in the angle of the Upcott aisle, added in 1909-10 in Early English style.

Exterior

The building has buttresses, some dating from the 19th century, diagonal at the corners with chamfered offsets, coved stone eaves, and parapeted gable ends with shaped kneelers and finials at the apices.

The south aisle features three 15th-century square-headed south windows, the right-hand two appearing restored. These windows have three hollow-chamfered ogee cinquefoil-headed lights with pierced spandrels and hoodmoulds. Pairs of pierced consecration crosses appear below each window. A 15th-century granite priest's doorway in the right-hand bay consists of a moulded Tudor arch with panelled spandrels, a moulded square surround with returned hoodmould, and a 19th-century nail-studded ribbed boarded door with decorative wrought-iron strap hinges. The south doorway in the second bay from the west has a restored continuously-moulded arch with spurs and an old, possibly 15th-century, boarded door with old wrought-iron door furniture and 19th-century applied ribs. A chamfered-arched image recess sits in the wall above.

The 15th-century stone porch has diagonal buttresses with chamfered offsets, plinths to the sides, and a restored pierced stone parapet with chamfered trefoil arcading to the front, trefoils to the sides, and square corner dies with crocketed pinnacles. The continuously-moulded 15th-century archway has a hoodmould with carved stops. Iron hooks indicate there were formerly gates. A slate sundial sits above the arch, though the gnomon was missing at the time of survey in November 1987. Above the sundial is a 15th-century image recess with bracketed shelf, square shafts to the sides on small carved corbels, and a canopy with two crocketed cusped ogee arches topped by a crocketed pinnacle. Restored square-headed side windows have two trefoil-headed lights, chamfered reveals and hoodmoulds. The interior of the porch features a slate-flagged floor, 19th-century stone side benches, and a 19th-century four-part flat wooden ceiling with moulded beams.

The restored 15th-century east window of the south aisle has three ogee cinquefoil-headed lights with cusped panelled tracery, returned hoodmould, an arch above with stone voussoirs, and pierced consecration crosses below. The restored 15th-century west window also has three ogee cinquefoil-headed lights with cusped panelled tracery, a hoodmould with carved square stops, and an arch above with stone voussoirs.

The east end of the chancel has flanking 19th-century buttresses. The restored 15th-century east window has three ogee cinquefoil-headed lights with cusped panelled tracery, a hoodmould with carved square stops, and an arch above with stone voussoirs. The west end of the nave has a 19th-century window, probably a restored 15th-century window, of three ogee cinquefoil-headed lights with panelled tracery where the mullions continue straight up into the head of the arch. It has a hoodmould with carved square stops and an arch above with stone voussoirs. A blocked 15th-century west doorway, probably of sandstone, has an ovolo-moulded, almost round arch, a hoodmould with carved square stops, and an arch above with stone voussoirs. A 19th-century buttress sits between the nave and aisle gables, with a diagonally set square chimney stack above. A pair of largely unrestored 15th-century square-headed north windows stand at the west end of the nave. The left-hand one is of limestone with three hollow-chamfered cinquefoil-headed lights, moulded reveals and returned hoodmould. The right-hand one is of granite with three hollow-chamfered depressed-arched lights, panelled spandrels, chamfered reveals and returned hoodmould.

The north chancel chapel, the Upcott aisle, has an east window of three ogee cinquefoil-headed lights with cusped panelled tracery, a hoodmould with carved square stops, and an arch above with stone voussoirs. A pair of pierced consecration crosses sits below. A 19th-century cavetto-moulded Tudor-arched north doorway has trefoil-panelled spandrels and a square head with returned hoodmould.

The tower has two stages with a string course and broach spire with lead finial and gilded weathervane. Raked square-headed louvred belfry openings appear in the cardinal faces of the spire. Chamfered lancets in the first stage to north and west have wrought-iron saddle bars and stanchions with fleur-de-lys heads. The moulded segmental-arched west doorway has a boarded door and hoodmould with carved stops. A foundation stone to the west is inscribed: "TO THE GLORY OF GOD/THIS STONE WAS LAID BY/Mrs F.W. KING-CHURCH/FEBRUARY 10TH 1909".

Interior

The 15th-century four-bay granite arcade has piers of Pevsner type A consisting of shafts with moulded bases and capitals, splayed diamond bases, carved capitals with uncarved shields to the cardinal faces, and moulded four-centred arches. The 19th-century barrel roof to the nave consists of a wall plate with billet ornament and carved square fleurons, hollow-chamfered longitudinal and transverse ribs with small carved square fleurons, and carved square fleuron bosses. The 19th-century painted and gilded wooden chancel arch springs from paired moulded brackets with billet ornament, brattished imposts and boarded soffit. The painted 19th-century chancel roof is similar to the nave roof but with chamfered ribs and also with cross-ribbed panels and carved shields to the wall plates.

The 15th-century barrel roof to the south aisle consists of a carved pierced wall plate with carved angels, billet ornament, and some brattishing, chamfered longitudinal and transverse ribs with carved square fleurons and carved square bosses, and chamfered cross ribs with carved bosses. A restored 15th-century four-centred moulded arch leads to the Upcott aisle. The 19th-century three-bay roof to the Upcott aisle has moulded longitudinal and transverse ribs, carved bosses and billet-ornamented wall plates.

Windows have splayed jambs and hollow-chamfered rear arches dying into responds. A segmental-arched recess, a blocked door, sits in the west end of the nave, and the south doorway has a segmental rear arch. The doorway to the tower has a boarded door and continuously-chamfered arch. The floors are 19th-century encaustic tiles in the chancel and Upcott aisle, diamond-set quarry tiles at the east end of the south aisle, and stone floors elsewhere.

Fittings

An elaborate late 19th-century painted wooden reredos features images of saints in cinquefoil-headed arched panels, a Lamb of God to the centre with flanking kneeling angels, and billet ornament to the top. The 20th-century oak altar table has linenfold panels. A piscina in the south wall has a chamfered square surround and circular bowl. Late 19th-century altar rails have decorative wrought-iron supports and a moulded wooden rail. Late 19th-century choir stalls have carved poppyheads.

A wooden screen south of the chancel, dating from 1878-79 by Hems of Exeter, has cinquefoil-headed lower panels, open upper panels with pierced quatrefoils above, and a billet-decorated top rail. The polygonal stone pulpit of 1878-79 has a compound stem and carved ogee panels to the sides. The carved oak eagle lectern of 1840 is by Morris and Company. Benches and matchboarded dado date from 1878-79.

The 12th-century circular stone font has a tapered stem, carved chevron ornament and carved bowl with scallop ornament. A 20th-century organ sits in the east end of the south aisle.

Two old cast-iron chests stand in the vestry in the east end of the south aisle. The smaller chest has moulded panels, a carrying handle and superscribed lettering: "PARISH OF BEAFORD/JOHN G. RUSSEL RECTOR/JOHN PUDDICOMBE/JOHN MARSHALL/CHURCH WARDENS/1813". The larger chest has moulded panels, a carrying handle, and superscribed lettering to the front: "GREAT TORRINGTON PARISH CHEST". The date was illegible at the time of survey. A wooden cover or stand, in the Upcott aisle at the time of survey, has superscribed lettering: "1619/W/DY/EH".

The stained glass in the east window is in memory of Gilbert Beresford, rector, who died 26 March 1914. Other windows contain 19th-century leaded coloured glass.

A marble plaque above the north door of the Upcott aisle is inscribed: "UPCOTT AISLE/RESTORED BY/T.W. SNELL/1879". A plaque above the tower doorway is inscribed "LAUS DEO/THIS TOWER WAS REBUILT/3 BELLS REHUNG AND 3 NEW/BELLS ADDED. ANNO DOM: 1910/GILBERT BERESFORD RECTOR/F.W. KING-CHURCH,/RICHARD SLUGGETT./CHURCH WARDENS". The old bells include one dated 1432, another late medieval one, and one dated 1720.

Monuments

Two late 17th-century inscribed slate memorial tablets hang on the west wall of the nave. The left-hand one is in memory of John Synge of Clements Inn of London, who died 8 August 1667. It has Gothic lettering, an inscribed border and a central painted shield with a long inscription below. The right-hand one is in memory of Thomas Sing of Warham, who died 14 May 1692. It has a shaped head, inscribed border, and central painted shield with a long inscription below.

Two late 17th-century inscribed slate memorial tablets hang on the west wall of the south aisle. One is in memory of Robert Buckland, who died in December 1667 (precise year uncertain), with a weathered coat of arms. This tablet was formerly on the floor. The other is in memory of Margreat (sic), wife of Hugh Mill, rector of this parish, who died 22 November 1686. It has an inscribed border and central carved coat of arms with a motto below. Further old memorial tablets lie on the floor at the west end of the south aisle. A pair of small early 19th-century marble memorial tablets hangs on the wall of the Upcott aisle. Remains of old stocks stand at the west end of the church.

Historical Note

The 1878-79 restoration included reseating and reglazing. The pulpit, chancel screen, lectern and reading desk were also installed in 1878-79, at a cost of £1,300.