St John the Baptist
Lady Chapel Pillars – Hedges (2005); 1930s
The lead on work at Marldon comes from Ron Dustan who worked for Violet Pinwill in the 1930s. A visit to St John’s revealed that the three pillars and capitals of the part of the arcade between the chancel and what may be thought of as the Lady Chapel were similar but different to the rest of the south arcade. According to Historic England (Marldon), the south aisle was extended to the east ca 1520 by John Gilbert to form what is known as the Compton Chapel. Most of the south wall of the chancel was removed and the south arcade extended with two narrow bays (i.e. with three pillars) at the same time. The chapel was refurnished and redecorated in 1934 (Marldon, 1996), which at least fits with the period that Ron Dustan remembers. Although there is nothing in the chapel that is directly attributable to V. Pinwill, some work may have been done here. Faculty plans for the work on the chapel in 1934 exist at DHC (PWDRO 2423/4) and may provide further explanation.
Sources
Hedges, M. (2005) Ron Dustan, Woodcarver in West Country Churches. Dartmoor Society Newsletter 22, 14-19.
Marldon (1996) Marldon Church Devon. Notes on its History and Architecture.
PWDRO 2423/4 Catalogue. Devon and Cornwall Faculty Petitions held at Devon Record Office I-Z.