St Swithun

Unbuttressed west tower with chamfered plinth and embattled parapet: north side has projecting square-sided stair turret rising above parapet with embattled parapet and surmounted by C19 brass weather vane

3 windows of north and south aisle fronts and those in east ends of aisles are all similar 3-light Perpendicular windows with early C16 volcanic stone sides and restored Beer stone tracery and hoodmoulds.

Between porch and priests door a painted sundial dated 1818 is fixed high on wall and 2 memorial stones are set into wall above the plinth

Both north and south aisles have original continuous ceiled waggon roofs of circa 1520 with elaborately carved wall-plates, moulded ribs and carved bosses.

The ceiled waggon roof is similar to those in the aisles and appears to retain a great deal of early C16 work stabilised by C19 tie beams with curved braces to wall-legs.

The eastern 2 bays originally housed the chancel with chapels in each aisle: the moulded piers at this end are carried higher and the capitals have finer quality carving.

The early C16 nave-chancel break is also marked by blocked rood stair doorways in north wall and the corresponding pier in north arcade includes a small carving to the nave of 2 boys tearing each others hair out.

The flagged floor includes some C17 and C18 ledger slabs.

Large west gallery of high quality craftsmanship built of oak in 1657 at the cost of John Davie of Creedy Park in order to accommodate children from the local poorhouse.

The main gallery rests on fluted Corinthian columns with ornate scroll stops and carved pedestals, and the forward side wings on turned Doric columns with plain scroll stops and pedestals.

The parapet, on an ovolo- moulded bressumer, has ornate arcaded panels separated by ascanthus consoles with Ionic caps under a continuous frieze of chip-carved lunettes enclosing stylised leaf motifs and with a dentil cornice.

The late C16-early C17 benches were remodelled in late C18 and rearranged in 1847-8 but most bench-ends are very fine examples of late C16-early C17 carving with a mixture of Gothic and Renaissance motifs.

Most have borders of twisted foliage with half-engaged column bases and bar-scroll stops and include a rich variety of vigorous bas-relief carvings featuring royal figures, New World natives, fabulous beasts and plants and trees.

Most other furnishings are Mid C19 including a panelled pulpit, carved oak eagle lectern, mahogany altar rail with twisted and turned balusters, and Beer stone font.

SS8202 : Sandford, St. Swithun's Church: Victorian font

© Michael Garlick

The carved oak chancel screen is a First World War memorial

Several good memorials, mainly to the Davie, later Ferguson-Davie, family of Creedy Park.

The south chancel wall has large late C17 Davie marble wall memorial comprising an architecturally framed plaque.

Other notable Davie memorials include a small marble-framed plaque of 1627 at east end of north aisle with a obituary of Julia Davie, on south wall of chancel a marble drapery plaque of 1764, and a marble memorial of 1840 depicting the Good Samaritan in bas-relief, and in east end of south aisle a framed painted board surmounted by the Davie arms recording the gift in 1675 of John Davie of Prouze of the rents of nearby houses to 6 poor husbandmen.

North aisle includes a good quality late brass of 1604 recording and depicting the death of Mary Dowrich

East chancel window of C20 leaded glass includes good C19 stained glass figures by Merick and the Ferguson- Davie memorial windows of 1885 and 1889 in east windows of each aisle are both by Warrington of London.

Fine mid-late C17 chest with ornate carving and arcaded, panelled sides, the panels with inlaid marquetry patterns and including the initials ET, WS and TP.

It was closed 1126-37 after a murder during mass

was closed again in 1437.

It was reopened in 1523-4 with a licence for a burial ground.