Church Of All Saints

ALVERDISCOTT SS52NW 4/27 Church of All 4.10.60 Saints (formerly listed as Parish Church of All Saints) GV. II * Anglican parish church. 15th century; north aisle built 1579; restored 1863. Squared and coursed slatestone; gabled stone-coped slate roof. Plan: Chancel, nave with north aisle, west tower. Perpendicular-style fenestration of 1863 to chancel and south wall of nave. Chancel has 3-light east window, and 2-light square-headed windows with trefoiled lights flanking south door of 1863. South wall of nave, which has offset buttress of 1863, has two 2 and 3-light windows flanking porch of 1863: porch, which has round-arched doorway, leads to Norman-style round-arched doorway of 1863 with chamfered imposts. North aisle of 1579, has label moulds with block stops over 3 Perpendicular 3-light windows, which have trefoiled and ogee-headed lights with Mouchettes to spandrels and quatrefoil heads. C15 three-stage tower with string courses: C15 three-light Perpendicular window above 3-centred arched moulded west doorway with mid C19 door; one-light cinquefoiled windows; projecting stair-turret to south with slit lights; crenellated parapet with crocketed pinnacles. Interior: chancel interior of 1863 has Decorated-style tracery to reredos, flanked by The Ten Commandments set in crocketed and cinquefoiled canopies; waggon roof with blue-painted panels and gilt detailing; chancel arch has moulded inner order set on corbels of angels holding shields. Nave has 3-bay arcade and roof of 1863, which has chamfered granite pillars with cushion capitals supporting heavy timber arcade plate and arch-braced roof. South aisle: late C13 pointed-arched doorway with convex moulding and bar stops to vestry; fine waggon roof with moulded ribs and carved bosses, built 1579 for Richard Beller. West tower has medieval inlaid floor tiles, and pointed-arched doorway with convex moulding to stair turret. Porch has medieval inlaid floor tiles and late C16 arch-braced roof with bosses carved on collar purlin. Fittings: vine-leaf decoration to cornice, set on mid C19 base; late C12 cushion-type font, with relief-carved rosettes to sides and fleur-de-lys to soffits, with mid C19 base and coves, mid C19 (probably 1863) choir stalls, communion rail and pews. Monuments in south aisle: Baroque wall monument to Gilbert Hody (d. 1705), has heraldic cartouche set in broken scrolled pediment with angels set above oval cartouche framed by Tuscan columns with richly carved rosettes and sways. Very fine life-size effigy of Thomas Welshe, d. 1639, on tomb chest: the subject's "Van Dyke" (Pevsner) dress is finely detailed and he is shown holding a prayer book: he is carved in sentimental fashion. (Buildings of England: North Devon, pp. 38-9; National Monuments Record).

Listing NGR: SS5195025257