Weight: 664 lbs Diameter: 30.5" Bell 1 of 1
Founded by John Taylor & Co 1893
Dove Bell ID: 58563 Tower ID: 22655 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Paignton: St Andrew
Overview
Grid reference: SX 890 603
This is a tall and impressive town church, clearly an expensive job, in Free French Gothic style reminiscent of James Brook’s best work, with Arts and Crafts details. The church was built in 1892-1897 to serve the new southern part of the town to designs of Fulford, Tait and Harvey, but could not be completed as planned. The west end was completed by W D Caröe in 1929-1930, but the intended tower was never built.
Visiting and facilities
Building is open for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
Nave, chancel, north and south two-bay transepts; north and south five-and-a-half bay aisles; north-east Lady Chapel; south-east vestry; entrance on south-west side.
Dimensions:
Nave including crossing 25m (85ft) long, 8m (25ft) wide, narrow aisles.
Footprint of Church buildings: 707 m²
Description of Archaeology and History
Paignton was a Medieval market town focused around the church of St John and Bishop's Palace. St Andrew's is built outside the old town in a developing suburb, and archaeological remains are not expected. Nevertheless, the area is rich in remains from the Neolithic onwards, and the County Archaeologist and Historic Environment Record should be consulted before any development is considered.
The town grew as a seaside resort in the late 19th and early 20th century. The church was built in 1892-1897 to serves the new southern part of the town to designs of Fulford, Tait and Harvey, but could not be completed as planned. The west end was completed by W D Caroe in 1929-1930. The chancel was refurbished in the 1950s. The hall was added in 1901 to designs by E Appleton. The church recieved a fine font and organ from St John's.
Exterior Description
This is a tall and impressive town church in Free French Gothic style reminiscent of James Brook's best work, with Arts and Crafts details. The church has a deep battered plinth and is heavily buttressed. The main entrance leads to the Caroe west end, which has a typically bold tall 2-light window in a pointed stone frame, each light with Y-tracery and cusped head, and a traceried roundel in square frame in the gable. The mainentrance under this is via steps up to a projecting porch with angle buttresses and a moulded arched doorway, recessed under a segmental stone arch.
The nave has a clearstorey with two pairs of windows to each bay, windows with cusped arched heads. The north transept has two gables to the north with round windows with free flamboyant tracery. Similar south transept and 2-bay eastern section to aisle. To the west there is a south porch with a canted corner and segmental-headed arch, 3-light square-headed cusped window above. East end has flat-roofed wrap-around vestry with a parapet and small 2- and 3-light windows with a doorway on the east return.
The easternmost bay of the north aisle is the heavily buttressed base of the unfinished tower, which has been capped with a hipped roof with deep eaves on timber brackets, above louvred belfry panels. The two bays east of this have square-headed 3-light windows and a lean-to roof, at the west end is the baptistery with a 2-light transomed window with cusped lights in a square-headed frame.
The chancel east wall has a central buttress with weatherings and gable below a traceried roundel window. Basement level with ogee-headed slit windows and doorways with depressed ogee heads. South return of chancel has unusual paired lancet window in stone recess with buttress-like detail in the centre; gabled stone belcote. The Lady Chapel apse has a conical tiled roof and three trefoil-headed windows in round-headed arches, with a moulded string below the sills.
Building Fabric and Features
Nave
19th century
Chancel
19th century
Transept
19th century north and south two-bay transepts
Aisle
19th century north and south five and a half bay aisles
Lady Chapel
19th century north east
Vestry
19th century south east
Church Hall
20th century 1901, formerly school rooms
Building Materials
Brick
19th century local red snecked breccia
Sandstone
19th century yellow sandstone dressings
Tile
19th century red tile roofs
Cast Iron
19th century original cast-iron rainwater goods.
Interior
Interior Description
Moving inside, the interior is impressive in scale and detail. The walls are bare pink stone. Moulded arches to the arcades, which have alternating octagonal and cylinderical piers with detached Purbeck shafts, transverse arches across the aisles. The clearstorey windows have internal trefoil-headed arches on shafts. Fine boarded waggon roofs. The nave and aisled floors are tiled, with open-back chairs.
The original High Altar table has been brought forward in front of the tall moulded chancel arch, which has shafts supported on corbels carved with 6 winged angels. Marble chancel rail with brattished ironwork. The chancel has a 2-bay arched arcade leading into the Lady Chapel, with a blind vesica in the tympanum. There is a huge gilded panelled reredos complemented by a Big Six on the High Altar, very fine mosaic chancel floor, sedilia with timber canopy, and good choir stalls with carved bench ends. A very impressive setting.
Fixtures and fittings
Altar
19th century wooden table and carved chest respectively to High and Lady Altars, chest for the High Altar very intricately carved.
Reredos
20th century 1950s huge panelled reredos with gilded angels supporting Agnus Dei, and painted shields.
Pulpit
19th century Fine pulpit by Hems and Son of Exeter in Byzantine style with an octagonal bowl with inlaid marble and alabaster figures in niches.
Lectern
19th century brass eagle
Font (component)
15th century Octagonal late Medieval font, formerly at the medieval parish church of St John the Baptist, with a 15th century bowl on a replaced stem. Elaborate timber font cover to Caroe's designs, dated 1912 with figures in niches and crocketed pinnacles and gables.
Stained Glass (window)
19th / 20th century Some minor late 19th century and mid 20th century stained glass, one window signed by George Cooper-Abbs of c 1949, all depicting individual saints including St Andrew. Attractive Art Nouveau leaded glass in the heads of some of the plain windows.
Plaque (component)
20th century minor 20th century tablets and boards
Organ (component)
19th century Large 3-manual pipe organ with displayed pipes by Henry Speechly, 1877, built for St John's, installed here when the chancel was completed.
Bells
Portable Furnishings and Artworks
Registers from 1880
Churchyard
Grid reference: SX 890 603
Burial and War Grave Information
It is unknown whether the building is consecrated.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has been used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard is used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has war graves.
Environment
Ancient, Veteran & Notable Trees
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
There are no records of Ancient, Veteran or Notable Trees within the curtilage of this site.
Renewables
| Renewable | Installed |
|---|---|
| Solar PV Panels | No |
| Solar Thermal Panels | No |
| Biomass | No |
| Wind Turbine | No |
| Air Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ground Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ev Charging | No |
Species summary
There are no records of species within the curtilage of this site.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
'Seek advice' Species
More information on species and action to be taken upon discovery.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
Further information
Sources
Showing 9 entries of 9 View All
Quinquennial Inspections
Submit a change
If you notice something incorrect or missing, please explain it in the form below and submit it to our team for review.