Church of St. Womar

Church of St. Womar

A small parish church comprising a nave and chancel with a small south transept, a north aisle that overlaps both nave and chancel beneath a low continuation of the main roofs, and a small tower at the west end. The masonry is of variable local stone, hammer dressed, with larger stones at the quoins. The north and south walls of the nave show a slight batter, while the west wall of the nave has a more pronounced batter, possibly strengthened when the tower was added. The roof is of slates with bright red crested ridge tiles and restored coped gables.

All windows and the north door were restored in 1874. The east window has three trefoil-headed lights. The transept windows have double pointed lights, the north aisle a single pointed light, and windows to the west of the aisle have double square-headed lights. Circular windows at high level appear on each side of the nave.

The tower is of three stages with large offsets. Above the north offset is the tower door providing access to the middle storey by ladder. In the belfry storey are double lights facing east and single lights facing north and west; to the south is only a slit. The parapet stands on a corbel table and now has plain coping, having lost any crenellations it may once have had.

Interior and Furnishings

The interior appears largely of 19th-century character, dominated by an unusual chancel wall containing five apertures. At its centre is a round arch, considered Norman, flanked by later side openings of 18th or 19th-century date with square piers of bare stonework and low segmental arches. The left side arch is supported on a roughly octagonal pier. Above these are two slightly dissimilar high-level openings with straight-sided pointed heads, possibly 18th-century additions to provide borrowed light to the nave, though their irregularity makes dating uncertain.

The nave is roofed with 19th-century scissor-braced common rafters, while the chancel has 19th-century arch-braced collared common rafters. The chancel floor lies at the same level as the nave floor and is paved with quarry tiles and some decorative encaustic tiles. Two segmental arches from the chancel into the north aisle and one from the nave form a north arcade, with the chancel arches separated by a circular pier. The arches abut the chancel wall just above an octagonal pier. The south transept retains a remnant of a squint and is vaulted. The tower is also vaulted and fully open to the nave with splayed sides.

The altar and rails are of pine, while the panelled reredos is of oak. The nave contains a pine pulpit and pews. A stoup recess lies beside the north door. An interesting round-bowled font, retrieved from the farmyard and reinstalled during the 1874 restoration, bears four heads (possibly the four evangelists) carved in high relief above foliage or cartouche knots, with long bulky hair in a style of the 14th century or later. The font rim is slightly moulded, though the pillar and base are modern.

Historical Notes

A memorial to Thomas Davies, clerk, who died in 1715, appears on the south side of the chancel. The inscription suggests he was an ejected clergyman, "deprived of all that he could not keep with good conscience". A similar memorial to another priest in similar circumstances exists at Crunwear.