Church of St Adwen Advent, England

Text courtesy of Historic England. © Crown Copyright, reprinted under the Open Government License.

ADVENT SX 18 NW 5/7 Church of St Adwen - 17.12.62 GV I

Parish church. Dedicated to St. Adwen. Norman font, circa C13 north transept, circa C13 west tower, circa C15 south aisle, restored in 1847-8, in circa 1870s and in 1975. Local stone rubble. South porch and south aisle of granite ashlar. Slate roof, nave and chancel in one. Tower of 3 stages constructed of roughly squared and coursed granite. Plan : The church probably has Norman origins with a Norman font. In circa C13 a north transept and west tower were built. In circa C15 a 5 bay south aisle was added, probably contemporary with a large chapel forming a type of south transept and the north transept arch was rebuilt. The church was restored in 1847-8 and possibly during the restoration the south chapel was demolished, the roof having fallen; the south window and masonry was reused in the rebuilding of the south aisle wall. By the early 1870s Maclean and Polsue record that the church was in a bad condition and during the subsequent restoration the north walls of the nave and chancel and the walls of the north transept were rebuilt, the ancient windows re-inserted in the transept; the roof was largely replaced with the exception of the waggon roof in the south aisle which was restored and repaired. Unbuttressed west tower of 3 stages with each stage recessed. 8 crocketted pinnacles in corners and centres of each face. 2-centred west door blocked when the ground was raised to the west. The west door arch has multiple mouldings with jambs of granite and a hoodmould, probably of Catacleuse stone. Circa C17 rectangular 3-light mullion west window in partly blocked 2-centred arched opening. Lancet window above and 2- light belfry openings with slate louvres. There are no window openings in the north wall of the nave. The north transept has 3 circa C13 lancet windows which were reset when the walls were rebuilt; 3-light chancel window with restored or renewed Perpendicular tracery and 3-light east window in south aisle with C19 restored curvilinear tracery of mouchettes in central roundel. The south aisle has three 3-light Perpendicular south windows, the central window reused when the south chapel was demolished; the windows to east and west have been restored. 3-light west window with renewed Perpendicular tracery in earlier opening. The south porch has a granite stilted arch with hollow chamfer and pyramid stops. The waggon roof to the south porch has been restored and the wall plate renewed on the west side. Crenellated cornice with moulded ribs and carved bosses. The Catacleuse stone 4-centred arch to the south door has a deep cavetto moulding with carved floral motifs and a rectangular surround with incised spandrels and a hood mould. Interior : Walls plastered in late C19. No chancel arch. Simple unchamfered 2- centred arch to west tower. The ringing stage in the tower is reached by an enclosed stone staircase at the back of the nave on the north side; the staircase has a cavetto moulded granite cornice and a 3-centred arch hollow chamfered doorway with pyramid stops leading to a flight of stairs inside; internal newel staircase in the tower to the belfry. Ceiled waggon roof to nave and chancel with some re-used timbers from the circa C15 roof. The south aisle waggon roof is circa C15 with a carved wallplate, moulded ribs and carved bosses. 5-bay south aisle with type A (Pevsner) moulded piers, depressed 4-centred arches with cavetto moulding, moulded bases and carved capitals. The north transept arch has a similar moulding as with the blocked arch, originally to the south transept chapel. Circa C19 and C20 furnishings of pitch pine and Norman font with round bowl, renewed octagonal stem and square base. Monuments to Elizabeth Bennet (1643), monument dated 1667, to John Batten (1710), Edward Dinham of Newton, St Kew (1831) and carved granite stone to William Michel (1650), Agnis his wife (1685) and their 'seed' Elizabeth, Anne, Margery and Grace. Maclean, Sir