St
Michaels Church Spreyton Architecture
Small
parish church. Norman origins. However present
church is all C15, much of it a major rebuild dated 1415,
thoroughly
renovated in the late C19, the tower and
north aisle are built of massive
blocks of coursed granite
ashlar, the nave and chancel apparently much rebuilt in
C19 with local stone rubble and with granite ashlar Quoins; granite ashlar detail;
slate roof.
Plan:
nave with slightly narrower and lower chancel
on a marginally different
axis. North aisle
with east end
chapel is not quite full length. West tower with internal
stair in north-west corner. South porch.
Exterior:
tall landmark west tower of 3
stages with set
back
buttresses and embattled parapet with corner
pinnacles. It
has 2-light belfry windows
and on the west
side a round-headed doorway with moulded surround and
a window above missing its 2 mullions and tracery. South Side of nave has a small gabled
porch (probably C19) with plain outer arch towards the left end, and to right
a
single
square-headed 4-light window
with round=headed lights, sunken spandrels and hoodmould; this one is a
C19 replacement. The chancel has 2 original
similar 2 light
windows
with cusped
heads and there is a much restored 3-light window in the east end. Priests
doorway in south Side is a tiny 2- centred arch.
The north aisle has 3 similar much-restored windows and another with pointed head with perpendicular
tracery at the east end. It has corner
diagonal buttresses and break between aisle
and chapel
marked by a semi-hexagonal rood stair turret. A straight Join suggests that the chapel is
an addition, probably 1451.
Interior: south doorway has probably C19.
It is a
chamfered segemental-headed arch but contains
an
ancient studded plank door with original ferramenta and
oak look housing. Best feature of the church are the
roofs. All are C15. Nave has a ceiling
wagon roof with moulded purlins and
ribs, carved oak bosses and a moulded wall
plate enriched
with 4 leaf motifs. Aisle has a similar ceiled wagon
roof
except that here the wall plates are carved with fruiting vines. The chancel wagon roof is now
open. Here the ribs
and purlins are hollow-chamfered enriched
with 4-leaf Motifs and the
large oak bosses are naively but charmingly Carved and feature the tinners
hares, the green man and Sacred monograms.
The wall plate is similarly carved with
foliage and vines. However the remarkable
feature here Is the latin quotations carved on
the ribs and purlins it records the names of Henry le Maygne,
vicar, "a native of
Normandy who caused me to be built AD 1451"
and "wrote
this with own hand" and Robert of Rouen of Becedden, prior of Cowick,
near Exeter, and Richard Talbot,
Lord of Spreyton, who gave their good to
my building”. Tall plain tower arch. apart from the change of roof
levels there is no break between nave and
chancel. The
rood stair in the north aisle is intact and has
plain-
granite doorways. 5-bay arcade of monolithic
granite
piers
moulded (Pevsner ‘s type a) with plain caps to the arcade only. The 4th arch (from nave to chancel) is much
narrower than the rest and its arch is lop-sided.
The 5th arch is wider and lower than the
rest. Eather it was built like this to accommodate the lower
chancel roof or
it is 2 phases. The walls are plastered and the nave and chancel
some C18 or early C19 fielded-panel wainscotting.
Many of the window embrasures have oak lintels. The floor is made up mostly of stone flags. The earliest are small
and square; they are the same size as encaustic tiles And some probably C15 or C16 tiles
are included amongst
them. The floor also includes some graveslabs;
most are
C17 and C18 but
a couple in the north aisle
maybe medieval.
C15 piscina in sanctuary, The altar. Comprises an enormous
slab of granite
ashlar of
indeterminate date resting on a C20 oak
table. The altar
rails, stalls and low chancel screen which incorporates
the pulpit are built
of oak in Gothic
style. Plain pine
lectern and oak prayer desk. The benches are
oak in C16 style
with. Carved wreathed foliage around the bench
ends. Gothic style tower screen. All this
furniture is late C19
or early C20. The remains of a richly carved oak doorway
from the former rood screen with delicate
Perpendicular
tracery is preserved at the back of the church. Good
late Norman granite font with
octagonal bowl, each Side carved with simple geometric
patterns and octagonal
stem, Each side carved with crude
representations nevertheless
recognisable for instance as the Tree of
Life, Mortality, Our lady crowned etc. An
apparently earlier crudely Finished circular
font bowl in the north aisle.
Monuments: the mural monuments are C18 and C19 the Best is in the chancel and dated
1763 in memory of Thomas Hoare (d.
1746) and his wife Agnes (d. 1763). Another good One is the north aisle in
memory of John Cann of
Fuidge (d. 1767). Painted royal aims of George III on a board in
the north aisle and a painted charity board dated 1825
over the south doorway. East window has C19 glass.
