The Minster Church of St Andrew, also known as St Andrew's Church, Plymouth is an Anglicanchurch in Plymouth. It is the original parish church of Sutton, one of the three towns which were later combined to form the city of Plymouth. The church is the largest parish church in the historic county of Devon and was built in the mid to late 15th century. It was designated as a Minster Church in 2009 and it continues to operate as the focus for religious civic events for the city and as a bustling evangelical church. It is likely to be on the site of the original Saxon church and was once attached to the abbey of Plympton.
Description
The church existed at least as early as the beginning of the 12th century, possibly established in the 8th century but by the 15th century it needed to be enlarged because of the growth of the town. A Purbeck marbleeffigy tomb now located in the north transept is the only remaining feature of the earlier church. The principal building of Plymouth blue-sky limestone and Dartmoorgranite corner buttressing in the Perpendicular style, took place between 1430 and 1490. with a plaque on the tower dating to 1460. It is known to have been restored three times, in 1824 by John Foulston, in 1875 by Sir George Gilbert Scott, and by Sir Frederick Etchells after extensive bomb damage in World War II. The Resurgam Door is a commemoration of this. The length is and the width. There are two aisles on each side of the nave and one each side of the chancel. The arcades are of the type which is standard in Cornwall at the period. The tower is high and was funded by Thomas Yogge, a prosperous merchant,. who lived in the wrongly-named Prysten House immediately located to the south of the Church. The organ, the largest west of Bristol, was built by Rushworth and Dreaper to a design by George Harry Moreton, William Lloyd Webber and O. H. Peasgood. Dr Harry Moreton was the organist of St Andrew's from 1885 to 1958.
Blitz
In March 1941, St Andrew's Parish Church was bombed and badly damaged. Amid the smoking ruins a headmistress nailed over the door a wooden sign saying simply Resurgam, indicating the wartime spirit, a gesture repeated at other devastated European churches. That entrance to St Andrew's is still referred to as the "Resurgam" door and a carved granite plaque is now permanently fixed there. The Church was re-roofed and restored by Etchells and re-consecrated on 30 November 1957, St Andrew's Day. The restoration includes a new chancel as the old one had been made into a ruin.
Plate
There is a notable collection of 17th century plate and one chalice and cover of 1590.
