Church Of St Mary

Church of St Mary

Parish church of the 15th and 16th centuries, partly rebuilt and thoroughly renewed in 1845 by Heyward of Exeter. The tower is dated 1571. The building is constructed of coursed blocks of volcanic ashlar for the tower, with snecked volcanic ashlar for the remainder. Original Beerstone ashlar detail survives, replaced elsewhere with limestone ashlar. The roof is slate.

The church follows a large plan with a nave and chancel, nearly full length north and south aisles, a south porch, a vestry projecting north of the north aisle chapel, and a west tower.

The west tower remains from the original structure and stands two stages with set-back buttresses and an embattled parapet with corner pinnacles. The internal tower stair turret at the north-east corner has an external Tudor arch doorway. Square-headed two-light belfry windows feature cinquefoil headed lights. The west doorway is a two-centred, nearly round-headed arch with moulded surround, carved foliate spandrels, and a hoodmould inscribed with the date 1571. Above it is a three-light window with Perpendicular tracery. The aisles have three-light windows with Perpendicular tracery. The chancel east window is four lights with Decorated tracery. The south porch is gabled with diagonal buttresses and a volcanic two-centred outer arch with moulded surround; a similar south doorway lies behind it. A buttress on the south side has a thickened base accommodating a small arch-headed priest's doorway. The north side has a gabled vestry with an end chimney stack.

Inside, the nave, aisles and chancel feature 19th-century open wagon roofs with moulded ribs and purlins; carved oak bosses appear in the chancel only. The break between the continuous nave and chancel roof is marked by an arch-braced truss with spandrels pierced by quatrefoils. The tall 15th and 16th century tower arch is Beerstone, panelled with a moulded surround. The 15th-century Beerstone arcades, both of five bays, have moulded piers and carved foliate capitals. The walls are plastered. The chancel floor is tiled; the remainder is flagged, including a couple of 17th-century graveslabs.

Most furniture and fittings date from 1845, though the grand carved Beerstone reredos is later 19th-century. The reredos is Gothic in style with a gabled centre surmounted by Perpendicular tracery and carved figures of Christ flanked by demure angels. Each side bears commandment boards in ornate Gothic frames. An oak altar rail sits on Gothic arcading. Oak Gothic style stalls and pulpit date from the 19th century, as does an Eagle lectern. The nave contains 15th-century oak benches with tracery carved on the ends, restored in the 19th century. The aisles have fielded panel box pews. A 15th-century Beerstone font features an octagonal bowl carved with cusped crosses, a panelled stem, and a moulded base. An oak tower screen dated 1952 in Perpendicular style incorporates genuine 15th-century painted panels in ancient colour, showing rustic representations of saints, presumably reused from the old rood screen.

Memorials are mostly 19th-century. A notable Gothic monument in the chancel commemorates Thomas Heberden (died 1843). An unusual marble plaque in the south aisle commemorates Anna Maria Newcomb (died 1732). The finest monument, positioned over the south door, commemorates Rev. John Hicks (died 1707) with a plaque within a carved frame surrounded by cherubs and garlands; flanking Corinthian columns support a moulded entablature and pediment broken by a heraldic cartouche, standing on a shelf carried on scroll consoles with a carved apron. A small board painted with the Royal Arms hangs in the north aisle. The church contains good 19th-century stained glass, including the east window by William Wailes.