Past Remains in South-West Britain: St Winifred's Church, Branscombe, Devon

Dedicated to the Welsh Saint, St Winifred's nestles into the hillside in the most beautiful setting above the main part of Branscombe - believed to be the longest village in England - and is one of the oldest parish churches in Devon.

Architecturally important, it is thought to date back to circa 995, but can only be traced back for certain through church records to the early 13th century. However, traces of the Saxon herring-bone work can still be seen in the walls, along with the later Norman brickwork and the remains of the delightful Mediaeval wall paintings.

Branscombe was one of the major East Devon villages for smuggling during the 18th and 19th centuries. The altar tomb erected in the South-Eastern corner of the churchyard was dedicated to one John Hurley, a Preventative Officer of the parish. Trying to douse a landing signal fire upon the cliffs between Beer and Seaton, he slipped and fell to his death. The epitaph reads...

"Here lieth the body of Mr John Hurley, Custom House Officer of this parish. As he was endeavouring to extinguish some Fire made between Beer and Seaton as a Signal to a Smuggling Boat then off the Sea He fell by some means or other from the Top of the Cliff to the Bottom by which He was unfortunately Killed. This unhappy Accident happened the 5th day of August in the Year of our Lord 1755. Aetatis suae 45- He was an active and Diligent Officer And very inoffensive in his life and Conversation."

You can just about see it beyond the headstones aligned down the hill, right in the bottom corner. And below, on the mid left of the photo. I took these during a visit in 2009 and didn't know about the tomb then, otherwise I could have taken some close-ups. Doh!

Beautifully higgledy-piggledy as, like many old churches, there has been an accumulation of rebuilding and additions, the stonework mostly consisting of local Salcombe stone rubble with Beer stone details.

The windows are an absolute delight where new ones have been added and are slightly skewiff. The same one can be seen from both outside and inside...

...plus another interior one, below.

Partly Norman and partly later Mediaeval, the nave is Norman and the transepts circa mid 13th century, with the chancel around 14th century origin. The roof above the nave is a 15th century open wagon roof with with moulded ribs and purlins with carved oak bosses.

I think this roof below was one of the rafter roofs with straight arch braces, that are above the transepts, chancel and porch - possibly above the chancel with archways to the side transepts - which were renovated in 1911 and made open. It's difficult to know for sure as it was 13 yrs ago when I took these photos and don't have enough interior ones to orientate myself around the church with.

The font is 15th century, together with the three-decker pulpit which is almost unique in Devon. The screen is Jacobean, and the west gallery and altar rails are circa 1700.

Unfortunately, I didn't take a photo of the font and the one I took of the pulpit was much too dark to use. Below are the sedilia found in ancient churches, which were used to seat the officiants during mass before the Dissolution.

The beautifully carved Bishop's Chair, below.

The walls below show part of a wall painting in the first photo; the second shows small patches where the plaster has been taken away to reveal the Saxon herringbone and Norman brickwork.

The two brick patches can just about be seen at the bottom of the right hand wall.

Again, the photos aren't too good because it was very dark and I didn't think to take a proper one of the brickwork at that time (some of my building interests, including brickwork, hadn't completely developed at that time). I shall have to give the usual cry of "I've been meaning to go back", lol, but travelling has been difficult for me these last few years so I'm just working with what I've got for the time being.

And now, back outside to see the gorgeous architecture and churchyard.