Description

INSTOW RECTORY LANE, Instow Town
SS 43 SE
1/90 Church of St John the Baptist
25.2.65
GV I
Parish Church. Late C13/early C14 fabric to chancel. Perpendicular nave, west
tower, south transept and north aisle, the latter added in 1547. Restored 1872-3
by William White. Stone rubble with ashlar dressings. Slate roofs with coped
gable ends. West tower, nave, chancel, south transept and porch, north aisle.
West tower of 3 stages. Short diagonal buttresses and embattled parapet with tall
rectangular stair turret on south-east side. Single light bell-openings with
louvres, cusped-headed to top stage, ogee-headed to 2nd stage on north and south
sides, the latter with straight-headed single light window to base. Perpendicular
4-light window to west side with human head corbels to pointed arched hoodmould
above Perpendicular doorway with hollow-with-cyma recta moulded surround. Nave
south side has 2 straight-headed windows that to left of 2 cusped-headed lights,
that to right of 3 rounded-arched lights, both with hoodmoulds, flanking south
porch. C19 pointed arched doorway with door of 2 boarded leaves, the upper part
glazed with stained glass leaded lights. Plain chamfered pointed arched inner
doorway. Unceiled porch waggon roof without mouldings. South transept window of 3
trefoil-headed stepped lights with pointed arched hoodmould. 2-light window on
east side with quatrefoil tracery to head of 2 ogee-headed lights. Chancel south
side has 2 cusped-headed light window with Y bars to left and tall single light
lancet renewed in C19 to right of cusped headed priests doorway. 2 C19 straight-
headed windows to east end of chancel and north aisle. 4 straight-headed early C16
Perpendicular windows to north side of north aisle with gentle ogee heads to the
lights. Slightly projecting rood loft stair turret with segmental arched doorway.
2 buttresses towards west end. 3-light C19 window at west end of north aisle.
Interior: continuous north arcade of 4 bays with Pevsner 'A' type piers with
foliated capitals to chancel pier and respond. Capitals to nave piers record
erection of north aisle by "Rycharde Waterman (and) Emma His Wyf" in 1547. Ceiled
waggon roof to north aisle with carved bosses at each intersection of the moulded
ribs and longitudinal members, and carved timber wall plates. Similar roof to
south transept with single moulded rib and crenellated timber wall plates with
carved decoration. C19 chancel roof and some reused timbers to arch-braced nave
roof. Unmoulded semi-circular headed tower arch. C19 sedilia and piscina.
Chancel floor retains patterns of Barnstaple tiles. C19 chancel and C20 nave
furniture including timber screen of 1906-11 across nave and north aisle. Lead-
lined bowl to Norman font of block-capital shape on round stem. Section of
probably reused C17 communion rail to west end tower gallery with turned balusters
and moulded handrail.
Monuments: 2 C17 wall monuments in south transept east and west walls to Downe
family, father and son respectively. East side, square tablet with Ionic
colonettes and skull in base. West side, swan-necked pediment with central shield
above medallion with bust of male figure in bold relief, leaning on skull and
clasping book. Verse plaque below. Wall monument, north wall of north aisle by J
Kendall of Exeter to Humphrey Sibthorp, botanist, d.1797. At east end of north
aisle, tablet with moulded stone surround to Rebecca Prince d.1685 with oval tablet
above to Frederick Holmes d.1822. Stained glass to north aisle and chancel east
windows, to chancel lancet to H Hinchcliff d.1906, to south transept east side by
Myer and Co. to James Edward Allen (1886) and on south side to Richard White and
Wife (d. 1884 and 1906). South side of nave to Thomas Lock (d.1860) and Captain
Leonard Slater (d.1914).

Listing NGR: SS4797630989

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17526616

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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