St Swithun, Sandford
St Swithun, Sandford
St Swithun’s is a Grade I parish church on Church Street in the hilltop village of Sandford, Mid Devon, in the Diocese of Exeter and the parish of Sandford and Upton Hellions.
- Location
- Sandford, Devon
- Country
- England
- County
- Devon
- City / town
- Sandford
- Address
- Sandford, Devon, EX17 4ND
- Postcode
- EX17 4ND
- Built
- Norman origins; rebuilt c.1520; renovated 1847–48
- Architect
- John Haywood of Exeter (1847–48 renovation)
- Denomination
- Church of England
- Dedication
- Swithun
- Diocese
- Exeter
- Parish
- Sandford and Upton Hellions
- Grade
- I
- Style
- Perpendicular
- Materials
- Squared volcanic stone rubble with volcanic stone and Beerstone detail; slate roofs
- Grid reference
- SS 828 025
- Opening hours
- Open during daylight hours.
- Access
- Accessible toilets in church
Overview
Historic England describes a chapel of ease, now the parish church, of Norman origin, completely rebuilt around 1520 and renovated in 1847–48 by John Haywood of Exeter, who raised the nave roof, added a clerestory, built a new chancel and sacristy, and rearranged the seating. The fabric is squared volcanic stone rubble with volcanic stone detail, much replaced in Beerstone in the nineteenth century, and slate roofs. The plan is a nave with full-length north and south aisles, chancel, southern sacristy, unbuttressed west tower with embattled parapet, and south porch. The listing calls the work Late Perpendicular throughout.
Heritage Gateway notes an earlier church of 1318, a west gallery of 1657 with elaborately carved panels, and major Davie (later Ferguson-Davie) of Creedy Park memorials. The church is known for a large set of sixteenth-century carved bench ends. It was originally a chapel of Holy Cross, Crediton, and became a parish church in 1928 when it joined with St Mary, Upton Hellions.