Church Of St Paternus

The Church of St Paternus is a parish church with Norman origins, extended in the 15th century and restored in 1878. It is constructed of stone rubble with a moulded plinth, and has a slate roof covering the nave and chancel, which are combined into a single space. The plan incorporates a nave, chancel, north and south aisles, north and south porches, and a west tower.

The west tower stands three stages high with diagonal buttresses, a moulded plinth and strings, a battlemented parapet, and crocketted finials. A circa 19th-century polyphant stone four-centred arch leads to the west door, and there is a three-light Perpendicular window above it. Belfry openings have slate louvers. The north-east and south aisle and chancel have 15th-century three-light Perpendicular tracery windows. Two two-light cusped clerestory windows illuminate the upper walls of the nave, above the earlier north aisle. The north porch was rebuilt in the 19th century. The south porch retains a 15th-century granite arch with carved spandrels, a sundial, and a south door with reset early wrought iron hinges.

Inside, the church has lofty interiors and high roofs. The nave has a 19th-century roof, while the chancel retains a boarded waggon roof with some remains of a 15th-century wall plate, moulded ribs, and carved bosses. The easternmost bay is painted. A 15th-century waggon roof is also present in the south aisle. The north aisle has a three-bay arcade featuring round Norman piers with scalloped capitals, and later 14th-century two-centred arches; the remains of a fourth arch are visible to the east. An additional two-bay arcade, circa 15th century, adjoins the earlier north aisle. The south aisle has a five-bay arcade, also circa 15th century. The remains of a 15th-century chancel screen are visible. A 19th-century painted and gilded altar table and reredos, along with stencilled patterns on the east wall of the chancel, are also present. The church is furnished with 19th-century fittings, though some remains of 16th-century bench ends are in the north aisle. A Norman font features an octagonal granite bowl, a greenstone octagonal shaft, and a square base. A rood loft stair is incorporated into a projection on the north aisle. Altar rails from 1685 were reset as a tower screen. Memorials are present for Leonard Yeo (1624), Grace Seccom of Wibworthy (1619), An Yeo (1633), and Denis Kingdon of Barton (1851). A photograph on the north wall, dated 1876, depicts the church's interior before the 1878 restoration. Architectural drawings by Sedding illustrate the arcade and plan. Stop-chamfered spine beams with run-out stops are present.