Stairs Cross

Stairs Cross Project

Starcross was originally named Stairs Cross, because of the 12th century stone cross which guided the ferry from Pratteshide (Exmouth). The whole area was part of Sherborne Abbey.   Could we recreate a stone cross at the top of a flight of stone stairs?

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Thanks

Money for this project might be available from the Heritage Lottery, or there may be funding around for training whoever does the work?

A contact at Stoneycombe quarry has explained that to create a crude cross from the hard Dartmoor granite would not be easy. Only a specialised stonemason could do this work

Ter Hill. The Northeast cross

  Learning Stone at Portland Quarry have the facilities to train people in the art of carving Portland stone. They have said that they could help with a project to create a stone cross.
This ornate cross in Manchester is made from Portland Stone.

Many of the headstones on war graves are made of Portland stone

It’s quite likely that the original Stairs Cross could have been made from Portland stone, but this information isn’t available… or is it??

The Stairs Cross could have been made from Red Sandstone, which has  been used extensively in the area; for example, the Brunel Atmospheric Railway tower in Starcross, About Brunel's Atmospheric Railway and Red Lodge, Powderham http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-85989-red-lodge-powderham-devon

There's a cross made of red sandstone at Shillingford St George, Alan Rosevear on Ancient Stone crosses in Devon

 which is less than 10 miles from Starcross map showing Shillingford St George and Starcross Alan Rosevear writes "The exceptional stone at Shillingford looks like the stone in Torbay; it may be significant that Torre Abbey held Shillingford Abbots, so this may have travelled by sea and land from there"
The Devon red sandstone is still quarried, but since it's very crumbly, its use is for aggregate. Here's part of the Geodiversity Audit of Active Aggregate Quarries

which lists the red sandstone quarries in the region: Bishops Court, Blackhill, Hillhead and Whiteball. Perhaps, at one of these quarries, there might be a block of red sandstone suitable for a cross? Shaun at the working Blackhill quarry describes the stone there as very crumbly, and only suitable for aggregate, but he recalls lumps of red sandstone when they cut out the M5. This sandstone was part of the seam of red sandstone which was quarried at Bishop's Court Quarry, which is now disused. Houses are being built on the site.
Does anyone know of a lump of Devon Red Sandstone which is big enough to be carved into a stone cross, but not so big (or inaccessible) that it can't be transported?

If we could create a flight of stairs with a stone cross at the top, it could be sited near to the cob shelter on the grass next to The Strand car park. Permission would need to be sought from the landowner; the Starcross Parish Council

http://waylandwordsmith.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/starcross.html

The Transactions of the Devonshire Association have details of the history of Starcross. The volumes from 1862 to 1920 are online http://www.devonassoc.org.uk/transactions.htm

In the 1883 volume is a section about the Starcross ferry. It's part of a paper by JB Davidson MA 'On the ancient history of Exmouth'. Transactions of the Devon Association 1883 page 157

"
Amongst the other privileges conferred upon Sherborne Abbey by these grants was the right of ferry from Exmouth to the opposite shore of the mouth of the river. The starting place of this ferry was a place called Pratteshide, which is spoken of by Doctor Oliver, as an ancient name of Exmouth. At any rate it was a place of resort for purposes of the ferry, and of some commercial importance. The actual point of departure must have shifted from time to time with the changes brought about by waves and storms.On the other side of the river, the ferry terminated at a place called Woolcomb's Island, where there was a flight of stone stairs; and near this ferry-house was set up by the bishop of Sherborne a stone cross, whence was derived the name Stair, now Starcross. (on the authority of the late Captain Peacock, in a paper read on the 4th June 1869, before the Exeter Naturalists' Club)
In 1267, says Dr Oliver, an agreement was made between the abbot and convent of Sherborne and the mayor and bailiffs of Exeter, whereby the former disclaimed all right to Pratteshide, or Exmouth ferry, on condition of enjoying for himself, his convent and dependants, the gratuitous passage for ever.
According to Captain Peacock, this privilege was abolished in  1473, in the reign of Edward IV.
In 1495,  (10 and 11 Henry VII ) it is found that the rent of "the passage bote" , received for the corporation by their receiver, John Slugge, was 10s. In 1510 (1 and 2 Henry VIII ) the farm of the boat was demised by the corporation to John Bowrying for 20s ( Case of Corporation of Exeter v Lawrence pp. lxiv. lxv. )
"

Just a thought... Should Starcross have its old name back?