St Mary
Ideford
Devon
C12 re-sited tympanum, late C15/early C16 west tower and arcade, the rest of the church thoroughly rebuilt in 1850 by Wightwick and Damont except for the chancel which was added in 1883 by Dampier of Colchester (DRO).
Architectural Features
slate roofs with crested ridge tiles to the chancel.
West tower, nave, chancel, 3-bay north arcade (originally 2-bay and presumably 1-bay to the medieval chancel), lean-to vestry on north side of chancel, south west porch.
The tower details suggest an early C16 date, the design of the arcade is a probably a late Perpendicular regional type (q.v. Dunchideock and Exminster).
The roof of the north aisle is puzzling, could it be post Reformation? In 1846 the nave was of 2 bays only, there was a road screen (ceilure survives) and fragments of stained glass (Davidson).
Built into the wall above this is a circa C12 granite tympanum with a bird and scroll-tailed dragon on either side of a conventional foliage motif.
2 2-light Tudor arched nave windows of 1850 with tracey and a straight joint in the masonry between them.
The west face has a plain chamfered moulded granite doorway with an 1886 oak door with an outer order of carving "the work of a dwarf at Teignmouth named Austin" (Creswell).
Slit stair windows on the south east corner, single gargoyles below the battlementing on the north and south sides.
The nave roof is a ceiled waggon with moulded ribs and flat carved bosses, the ceilure (in the middle bay) is very complete with panels decorated with diagonal filligree carving and applied stars.
The aisle roof is unusual: flat with deeply chamfered cross beams, wallplates and a central rib with carved bosses
it could be C17.
Carved choir stalls of 1904, altar table of 1983.
Open traceried pulpit on stone base, the tracery said to have originated from the rood screen.
Font with an octagonal bowl with quatrefoils on an arcaded octagonal stem described by Pevsner as "Perp" but possibly recut in 1897 (date on font cover).
SX8977 : St Mary, Ideford, Devon - Font
reredos of 1924 re-sited at the west end of the aisle carved with the 4 fathers of the Latin church, the Annunciation and the Nativity
late Perpendicular Tudor arched doorway to tower stair.
Good east window glass, presumably erected in 1883
several armorial windows including late medieval glass restored in the C19
The medieval ceilure is a particularly important feature of the church.