Church Of St Mary

BIDEFORD

SS4526 CHURCH WALK 842-1/6/75 (South side) 08/11/49 Church of St Mary

GV II*

Parish Church. Probably C15; all but the tower rebuilt by Edward Ashworth in 1862-5. Fittings and monuments retained from old church. Stone rubble, with limestone details. Slate roof. Nave, N and S aisles with attached chapel on N, chancel, N and S chancel chapels, N and S porches, W tower. Both medieval and C19 parts in Perpendicular style. 3-stage tower with angle-buttresses at NW and SW corners; set-back buttresses at east end of north and south faces. 5-sided stair-turret on N face. Pointed-arched W doorway with double-ogee mouldings; C19 ribbed door with ornamental strap-hinges. Above it a 4-light traceried window with pointed arch (restored). Second stage has single-light windows with cinquefoil arches in N and S faces (both restored); that to S has square-headed slit window above it. 2-light apertures in each face, that to east apparently reduced in height to insert a clock; the other 3 openings have pointed arches, each light beneath having itself a plain pointed arch. Stair-turret has pointed-arched doorway (probably C19) with plank door having ornamental strap-hinges; 5 original slit windows. Tower finished with battlemented parapet. C19 body of church has traceried windows, mostly of 3, 4, or 5 lights; pointed arches, except for 4-centred ones on N and S sides of chancel chapels; hood-moulds have dramatic high-relief male and female heads as terminals. INTERIOR: nave has 6-bay aisle-arcades with 4-centred arches; similar 2-bay arcades in chancel. nave and S aisle have false hammerbeam roofs; arch-braced roofs over N aisle and chancel; wagon roofs over chancel chapels. Fittings: Norman stone font with scalloped bowl having carved panels and cable-mouldings. Doors in tower arch made up of early C16 carved bench-ends. C19 pulpit; white marble veined with orange; green and red marble attached columns; attached figure of Christ. Glass screen between the N aisle and chapel engraved by Peter Tysoe, 1982. Several stained glass windows, including east window by A Gibbs, 1865, and north window by Dix. Monuments: traceried stone screen between chancel and south chapel incorporating tomb of Sir Thomas Graynfild (d.1514); chest with quatrefoil panels carrying recumbent figure in armour; south aisle has wall monument with high-relief bust of John Strange, merchant (d.1646), four times mayor of Bideford; inscription recording his work during the plague, of which he died. (The Buildings of England: Cherry B: Devon (2nd edition): London: 1989-: P.174, 176).

Listing NGR: SS4538626423