MSO11721 - St Giles Church, Hawkridge (Building)

[SS 8610 3065] St Giles' Church (NAT). [1] The church consists only of a nave and chancel with a tower at the west end. The fabric includes an east window and buttresses in the early Decorated style as well as early Norman features, such as a doorway on the north side of the tower and a circular font. The tower is 19th Century. [2] In normal use. [3] St Giles Church has a Norman doorway and the East window and part of the chancel are Decorated. There is a plain two stage West tower. "Such a structure is hard to date. Is it ancient or simply primitive?" [4] 21/1 Church of St Giles. Grade B. Small plain typical moorland church considerably restored in late C.19. Nave, chancel with C.14 E window, W tower of two stages, embattled parapet and stair turret, diagonal buttresses to lower stage. Crudely ornamented Norman S doorway, Norman tub font. [5] SS83SE WITHYPOOL CP HAWKRIDGE 18/161 Church of St Giles 6.4.59 GV II* Parish church. Norman south door, C14 chancel and base of tower, rest Perpendicular, restored 1878. Local stone random rubble, plinth to chancel, Ham stone dressings slate roofs. West tower, 3-bay nave, chancel. Crenellated 2-stage tower, diagonal buttresses to second stage string course, louvred lancet bell opening, 4-light west window, unmoulded semi-circular headed doorway to C19 west door, crenellated north east stair turret; buttress to south west corner of nave, 2-light window left of gabled, single storey porch with C19 semi-circular arched opening, semi-circular headed Norman doorway with zig-zag moulding to extrados, capitals with incised design, renewed inner arch, chamfered jambs, C19 door; right 3-light trefoil headed mullioned window set into rebuilt sectionof nave wall, chamfered corner at junction with chancel, 2-light chancel window; north front unlit with rood stair projection and lean-to roofed addition thought to contain boiler for heating system. Interior: rendered. Shallow chancel arch, unchamfered 4-centred tower arch. C19 ceiled wagon roof to nave. Panelled screen to tower arch. Norman baluster font, cable moulded with incised grid pattern to bowl. C13 stone coffin lid, chamfered cornice defacedfoliage cross, incised with inscription "William...... lies here"; thought to refer to William de Plessey, Lord of the manor, died 1274. This was found in wall behind pulpit in 1877 and removed from the church, only to be returned in 1931. Painted Royal coat of Arms of Queen Victoria on chancel arch wall inscribed "WHW and JC churchwardens 1877". (Photograph in NMR). [6] The first rector was appointed in 1318 [8]. In c. 1992 the western end of the oak vaulting was replaced after being damaged by scaffolding which was being used during repairs to the tower. [9-10] A wooden memorial commemorates two members of the parish who died in World War One. The memorial consists of an arched wooden board flanked by two fluted flat columns. [11] The building was visited in March 2012 as part of the rapid condition survey of Exmoor's Listed Buildings 2012-13. It received a BAR score of 6. [12] The building is labelled "St Giles's Church (Rectory)" on the 25 inch 1st Edition Ordnance Survey map. [13] The building is labelled "St Giles's Church" on the 2021 MasterMap data. [14] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [15]