Description

PARRACOMBE PARRACOMBE
SS 64 SE
6/133 Christ Church
- II
Parish Church. Built on new site 1878 by W. Oliver, leaving the former parish
church, St. Petrocks (q.v.), unrestored, on its old site away from the village.
Snecked stone rubble with ashlar dressings. Slate roof with crested ridge tiles and
apex crosses to the gable ends.
West tower, nave chancel, north aisle and south porch. West tower of 3 stages.
Set-back buttresses and embattled parapet, corner pinnacles with octagonal bases of
alternating gabled round-arched and straight-headed niches reducing to elongated
cone capping terminating in fleur-de-lys finials. Large pointed-arched bell-
openings of 2 distinct lights with louvres on each face except north. Clock faces
in segmental arched surrounds on south and west side. West window of 3 cusped
headed lights with quatrefoil traceried head. Short gabled stair turret on north
side with stepped triple lancet window to gable and two lancets to lower stage.
South porch has gabled slate roof with crested ridge tiles. Moulded surround to 2-
centred arched porch doorway with engaged columns supporting inner arch. Wrought
iron lamp bracket to head of arch. 2-light lancet to each side wall of porch with
segmental pointed inner arches. Collar rafter roof.
Ogee-chamfered surround terminating in broach steps to pointed-arched inner doorway.
Plank door with fleur-de-lys strap-hinges. 2 Decorated-style windows of 2 lights
each and single light window to nave and chancel, south side with continuous ashlar
sill band stepped up below the chancel window. Pointed-arched east window of 3
cusped headed lights and Decorated-style tracery with corbelled hoodmould and ashlar
band at the springing level. North aisle composed of triple gable-ended transepts
with pointed-arched 2 light windows with plate tracery and ashlar band at the
springing level.
Interior: moulded arch-braced roof to chancel and nave with heavy moulded purlins
and stepped pointed-arched blind tracered panels above the collar to the east gable
end truss. Collar rafter roofs to north aisle with short shaped timber wall posts,
and corbels to the valleys.
North arcade of 3 bays with piers of semi-circular half-shafts with moulded
capitals. Segmental pointed tower arch and pointed chancel arch with engaged
colonettes. Stone carving by Hems of Exeter including reredos of triple arches
springing from short marble colonettes , a device repeated in dividing the shoulder-
headed recesses of the double sedilia. Cusped-headed piscina on north wall. Maw
tiles to chancel and patterned tiled floor to nave. C19 nave and chancel and
patterned tiled floor to nave. C19 nave and chancel furniture. Semi-circular drum
to stone pulpit fronted with 7 deep trefoil-headed blind niches. Octagonal bowl to
font with blind tracery of 2 pointed arched panels to each facet on cylindical stem
with 4 engaged colonnettes.
Stained glass: east window by Dixon, in memory of Elizabeth Pyke. Chancel south
window to Richard Middleton (d. 1872). Nave, south side, eastern window to Rev.
Leakey, rector 1870 - 1881 and responsible for restoration by A.L. & C.E. Moore of
London, and opposite, to north aisle to Rev. William Thompson and wife.

Listing NGR: SS6692244859

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26462481

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.

Recommended Books

• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair