WINKLEIGH, Devon – All Saints.

Chancel 1902

The Western Times of 6 June 1902 described the dedication of the new chancel.  There had already been restoration of the nave, and later a partial restoration of the chancel, but the latter was never completed satisfactorily, and so George Fellowes Prynne was called in to draw up plans for the improvement of the chancel, including the adequate but somewhat unsightly roof.

The chancel comprises a floor of black and white marble, marble steps to the Communion table, teak panelling, with shields bearing emblems, and a new roof in oak, ornamented in gold, with emblems on the bosses.  The cost of this work is about £700, and it is said that the beautiful church, by way of an exceptional amount of valuable work and decoration, is now almost unique in Devonshire.

The other important addition was the exquisite wooden rood screen.  This bears the standard inscription favoured by Fellowes Prynne, and also seen at St Bartholomew, Winchester, “By Thy Cross and Passion Good Lord Deliver Us”.  As yet I have not seen documentary evidence that the screen is to Fellowes Prynne’s design, but the fact that he was responsible for the restoration of the chancel, as well as the design of the screen itself, in particular the wording, leaves me in no doubt.

A photograph of the chancel, featuring the rood screen, can be seen on this link Winkleigh – The Screen.JPG (5184×3456) (cornishchurches.com)