Church Development: Repair and Enhancement

The church was designed by Henry Clutton, a renowned architect, and erected between 1865-1867 at a cost of £12,000 as a Chapel of Ease for St Eustachius, the Parish Church of Tavistock. 

The building is in an Italianate manner with a tall almost-detached tower on the north side, under which is the principal entrance. There is also a second more ornate entrance on the south side which was for the use of the Dukes of Bedford. The detailing of the church is a mixture of Romanesque arcading and Gothic capitals.

The church is built of the local Hurdwick ashlar, a beautiful grey/green stone used for many of the public buildings in Tavistock erected at that time. There are contrasting dressings of limestone, the roofs covered in Cornish Slate, and selected use of granite from local quarries. 

Repairs and enhancement to the church have been undertaken in phases over the past thirteen years as described below.

***********************************************

2021-2022: Church tower During the Quinquennial in 2021 it became obvious that the tower needed significant remedial work, especially to the louvres at the top of the 100' tall tower.  In addition a completely new belfry floor had to be constructed some 80' above the floor.  Access to this belfry had to be created. The total estimated cost was some £300,000. The Diocese applied through the  Grants for Major Works Round 2, part of Heritage England Stimulus Fund and the money was granted. Thse major works were completed on schedule in early 2022. 2019: Re-siting the font  Following the construction of the west end facilities, the last phase of the work was to move the font into the nave of the church. This was completed by the end of August. 2018: West End Community facilities - completed July 2019 In the early part of the year contracts were issued for the work, Tenders received and evaluated, and a contractor selected.  A detailed schedule of work was agreed and work started in September for this complex project. The parish now has all the facilities for community activities. 2017: Sacristy The work on this room has been completed and replaces the "temporary" room situated at the west end of the church. The cupboards were expanded to allow vestments to be hung and the press installed.  The safe has been installed in the fireplace, thereby allowing the maximum amount of space for robing. Whilst work was being carried out, it was found that the original plaster was coming away from the walls.  Further, previous repairs had been carried out incorrectly, using cement instead of plaster.  All this had to be removed so that three layers of new plaster could be applied; one layer being with horsehair in accordance with the church being a Grade II* Listed building. This added significantly to the cost. 2016: Lighting A completely new set of lights was installed, the work being completed early February. In addition to the nave and the Sanctuary there were lights that highlighted the stone work in the high windows. The lights are all LED low energy units, thereby ensuring running costs are kept to a minimum. These lights were paid for through fund raising activities by the parish together with a generous donation by a parishioner.  2015: Access The ramp together with steps were completed early that year.  In addition powered glass doors were installed which made the main porch a clean, dry area.  These glass doors, together with the removal of the wooden interior porch, had made the entry beautifully light. 2013: Enhancements - Access to the church and other works Plans were approved for installation of a ramp, together with glass doors, into the North Porch to ease access for disabled people.  Granite matching that used for the existing steps; and Hurdwick facing stone, has been sourced.  The connection from the church to the main sewer in the Callington Road was completed in June 2013; and the lavatory and hand basin facilities were installed.  There was little nostalgia by any parishioners for the dash across the car park in wind and rain to the previous 'Portaloo'. The glass doors were installed before Christmas; and the ramp and steps in January. The picture to the right shows the North Porch (inside and out) where the majority of the work took place.  These are the "before" pictures.

At the same time the louvres high in the tower have been sealed with netting, to eliminate the mess from the pigeons and jackdaws that have called the tower home for many years.  As part of this exercise, two skips of pigeon dropping were removed from the floor of the tower Funding We are pleased to say that a number of Trusts and Foundations are supporting this phase of the enhancement of our church with very generous grants.  Specifically: Allchurches Trust:       £650.00 Devon Historic Churches:  £ 2,000.00 Garfield Weston Foundation:  £ 3,000.00 National Churches Trust:    £ 10,000.00 In addition, the Parish Fundraising Committee continues to work hard raising money from such events as Coffee Mornings, Raffles and Concerts,

2009 - 2012: Structural work

In 2009 a structural survey of the building was carried out by the Diocese in conjunction with English Heritage.  This survey confirmed the building was fundamentally sound but remedial work was needed, especially to replace the Victorian drains which had collapsed.  The estimate for the repairs was £60,000 and fund raising started in 2010; the parish committing itself to raise the full amount; and this target was achieved.  Grants were generously given by English Heritage, Garfield Weston Foundation  and Devon Historic Churches.

As the church is a Grade II* Listed building, the Parish worked closely with English Heritage, the Historic Churches Commission and West Devon District Council.  Specifications and Invitations to Tender were drawn up, quotations received, the work started mid June 2012 and was  sucessfully completed by October 2012. 

2010: Rewiring of the church

In early 2008 an inspection of the wiring showed that the electric cabling was old, faulty and in places dangerous.   Accordingly in 2009/2010 the parish raised £3,500 and all wiring and lights within the church were replaced.