Description

SO 8202-8302 WOODCHESTER CHURCH ROAD
(east side), North Woodchester

16/211 Church of St. Mary

GV II*

Parish church. 1863-4 by S.S. Teulon for 2nd Earl of Ducie.
Ashlar limestone; stone slate roof. Nave with north aisle;
south porch and tower with spire; chancel with south vestry and
organ loft. Boldly positioned angle buttressed tower with porch
on west side in form of lean-to. Moulded pointed south porch arch
with attached sandstone shafts and foliage capitals; C20 inserted
lobby screen. Pointed arched arcade with sandstone shafts to main
and rere arches on west side of porch. Three-stage tower with
geometrical tracery to main south window, 2 lancets to each face of
2nd stage and traceried belfry openings with stone louvres.
Octagonal stair turret set at centre of east side of tower rises 2
stages with coped top. Slightly machicolated eaves below elegant
broach spire with lucarnes to cardinal faces and small pierced
quatrefoil spire vents. Offset buttressed nave and north aisle
walls with geometrical tracery to all windows. Large 5-light east
and west windows with geometrical tracery; boldly moulded west
doorway with attached sandstone shafts. Vestry and organ loft
project over falling gradient with undercroft below. Various
features give this a strong impact when viewed from east: typical
Teulon south-facing rose window with row of sandstone-shafted
lancets below; small gable on east side with shafted lights below.
Interior: ashlar-faced, all rere arches having alternating light
and dark stone voussoirs. Five-bay north arcade has circular
piers each with 4 attached shafts and combined capitals deeply
undercut with foliage carving. Pointed tower arch now partially
blocked. Five-bay nave hammerbeam roof. Wide moulded chancel
arch supported on triple sandstone shafts with large base corbels.
Two-bay arched braced collar truss chancel roof with central double
truss; corbels depict angels with musical instruments. Tiled
chancel floor concealed by C20 floor levelling. Last Supper
illustrated on tiled reredos. Delicate tracery carving to timber
chancel screen. Unusual C19 timber pulpit by Teulon on stone
base; C19 pews. Best monuments re-set from old church in tower
and at west end of nave: recumbent effigies of Sir George Huntly,
died 1622, and Eleanor Wynter, his wife set on chest tomb in tower;
also Baroque pedimented tablet to Robert Bridges, died 1722. Two
fine monuments with obelisk background set either side of west
window, left with urn and mourner to EDWARD PEACH, died 1770, by
Thomas Paty; right with putti flanking bust above sarcophagus
tablet to NATHANIEL PEACH, died 1719 by Ricketts. Stained glass:
earliest windows by Saunders, probably the west, possibly east
also. Windows in south nave wall by Preedy, Lavers and Barraud.
Aisle windows with clear glass have Teulon's decorative caming.
The most restfully composed of Teulon's Cotswold churches, replaced
earlier church of which the chancel arch and part of north wall
remain (q.v.).
(M. Saunders, The Churches of S.S. Teulon, 1982; and D. Verey,
Gloucestershire: The Cotswolds, 1979.)

Listing NGR: SO8397902670

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17537819

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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