Parish Church Of St Margaret And St Andrew

PARISH CHURCH OF ST MARGARET AND ST ANDREW, LITTLEHAM ROAD, EXMOUTH

This church combines medieval origins with significant Victorian restoration. The chancel dates from the 13th century, with arcades to the chapels perhaps from the 14th century, but the majority of the building is late medieval Perpendicular work. Substantial restoration by architect R. Medley Fulford took place in 1883-4, involving rebuilding of the north aisle and chancel arch and addition of the northeast vestry. The walls are built from local rubble with limestone dressings and slate roofs.

The plan comprises a west tower, nave, chancel, south porch, north aisle, north and south chapels, and northeast vestry. The most prominent external feature is the two-stage west tower with diagonal buttresses to the lower storey, a plain west doorway, and a three-light Perpendicular window above it. The belfry stage contains small two-light Perpendicular windows, and the tower terminates in an embattled parapet. There is no south aisle, but the centre of the nave has a two-storey south porch with a round-arched plain entrance and a two-light square-headed window above. Either side of the porch are three-light square-headed windows, enlarged in 1911. A small circular trefoiled opening appears in the southeast wall of the nave. The south chapel, under its own gable, has a three-light square-headed window in the west part of its south wall, with a distinctive boldly-detailed south entrance set between two heavy buttresses with offsets (attributed to Fulford and bearing the date 1888 above its head). The chapel and chancel east windows each have three lights with differing tracery details. An 1880s vestry with a hipped roof stands at the northeast corner. The north aisle and chapel, under their own gable, have three-light square-headed windows on the north side and three-light pointed windows at their east and west ends.

Internally, the plastered and whitened walls contain a wide north aisle separated from the nave by a four-bay arcade of standard Devon type with lozenge-shaped Beer stone piers bearing shafts in the cardinal directions and wave mouldings between. The capitals are carved with foliage and the arches above are moulded. The chancel aisles and chancel are separated by two-bay arcades with very squat piers lacking capitals, the chamfering of the arches continuing into the piers. The roofs date from Medley's restoration, though the chancel roof reuses medieval bosses.

The principal interior feature is the rood screen stretching across both nave and aisle, which is medieval but was extensively restored by Harry Hems of Exeter during the 1880s restoration when vaulting was added. Notably, the nave part is asymmetrical with two bays north of the entrance to the chancel and one to the south. It is vaulted with four-light traceried openings and a wainscot bearing intricate tracery patterning. The parclose screens are largely medieval, featuring four-light divisions with Decorated-style tracery and linenfold decoration in the wainscot, suggesting a 16th-century date. Altar rails date from around 1700. A 13th-century double piscina occupies the southeast part of the chancel. The late medieval font has an octagonal bowl with saltire cross decoration and a round base surrounded by polygonal columns. Remnants of three late medieval stained glass figures depicting Christ showing his wounds, St Roche and St Michael survive in the north aisle. The east window is by Clayton and Bell, 1883. The windows flanking the south porch, containing opulently draped figures in the main lights, date from 1911 and were designed by G H Fellowes Prynne and made by Percy Bacon Bros. Three additional windows by Kempe date from 1893 (north), 1906 and 1910 (south). The walls bear many early 19th-century wall monuments of varied subject matter forming a notable ensemble, including one on the east wall of the south chapel to Viscountess Nelson (died 1831), widow of the admiral, by sculptor Peter Turnerelli, depicting a mourning woman at a sarcophagus. She is buried in the churchyard.

In the churchyard southwest of the church stands a Celtic cross First World War memorial, with a lychgate of 1901 further southwest beside it. A room adjacent to the lychgate served as the only vestry until the 1883-4 restoration.

A church at Littleham is first recorded in 1149. The earliest visible evidence is the 13th-century double piscina and a lancet window in the chancel discovered during the 1880s restoration. The chancel arcades may date from the 14th century, but otherwise the building is late medieval Perpendicular work. Victorian restoration came relatively late through R. Medley Fulford's scheme in the 1880s, which involved reseating, restoration of the rood screen, roof renewal and rebuilding of the north aisle and chancel arch. Some reordering occurred in 1998 when the font was moved from the west end, a glass screen installed between the nave and ringing chamber, and various floor levels adjusted.