Christ Church And Churchyard Wall To The North

SX 48 SE BRENTOR NORTH BRENTOR

7/44 Christ Church and churchyard wall - to the north

GV II

Chapel of Ease to the church of St Michael, Brentor. 1856 by Richard Gosling of Torquay, financed largely by Mrs Isabella Holwell, Admiral Octavius Vernon and Mrs Danby. Roughly dressed stone with granite dressings and slate roof. Small Early English style chapel with shallow chancel, nave, west tower, north west porch and south east vestry, 2-bay chancel has moulded coped gable with granite kneelers and triple lancet east window below hoodmould with moulded corbels. Clasping buttresses to east and west ends of nave, north and south sides have buttresses with quoins and set-offs between moulded granite single lancet windows. Lancets recessed, with splayed sills, moulded granite string below windows. South east 5-sided vestry has deep pyramidal roof. North west porch has moulded coped gable with kneelers and moulded arched granite outer door, similar inner door. 3-stage battlemented west tower has semi-circular south stair turret with small rectangular chamfered stair windows. Tower has clasping buttresses with set-offs, 2 moulded strings at base, granite band below parapet and octagonal corner pinnacles with finials. North, south and west sides have chamfered lancets with hoodmoulds at bellringers' stage, similar lancets with slate louvres at belfry stage. North side has similar lancet at first stage. Moulded arched west doorway with hoodmould. Interior Moulded granite chancel and tower arches without capitals. 5-bay moulded arch brace roof to nave with heavily moulded purlins and wall plate, principals spring from moulded granite corbels. Chancel roof collar rafter. Narrow chamfered stopped doorway into vestry. Nave windows have moulded granite inner arches, east window has engaged shafts with bell capitals. Set of contemporary glass by Alfred Beer of Exeter: pictorial in the east window and the window opposite the north door commemorating Isabella Holwell. Window above pulpit has text on scroll, other windows quarries with borders. Granite font probably of 1856 has bowl decorated with bold trefoils on stem of clustered shafts. Font cover and other fittings 1930s, when the plaster was removed from the walls. Stone rubble wall of 1856 surrounding churchyard to the south included for group value. Wall has granite capping and curves towards the north porch with granite gate piers with gabled caps. The church cost £1,003 to build. Its unarchaeological gothic style is unusual in the Diocese of Exeter in the late 1850s.

Listing NGR: SX4823281398