Church Of St Martin

Church of St Martin, Cathedral Close

This is a medieval church of outstanding interest, comprising a nave, chancel, north tower, and small west porch. The building occupies an important position in the north-east angle of the cathedral close and is constructed primarily of Heavitree sandstone with some volcanic trap from Rougemont, limestone dressings (including Beer stone for the tracery), and slate roofs.

The church's origins may extend back to the late Saxon period, though this remains uncertain. The first church on this site was consecrated on 6 July 1065 by Bishop Leofric, founder of Exeter Cathedral. It has been suggested that some original 11th-century masonry survives, particularly in the north-east corner of the nave where there are decayed but convincing examples of long-and-short work in volcanic trap high up in the walls. The datable architectural features of the exterior, however, are predominantly of the late 14th and 15th centuries.

The west end of the church faces the cathedral close and displays a large Perpendicular west window of five lights with a transom and panel tracery, beneath which sits a small west porch with a gabled head. On the north side, a plainly-detailed tower stands midway along the nave. This tower features a large stair turret on its west side, reinforced by iron bands and projecting slightly above the plain parapet. The ground stage contains a large three-light Perpendicular window with panelled tracery. The tower has been treated with a light red protective wash and was originally built on land belonging to the dean and chapter of the cathedral, with rent charged for this occupancy until 1931. A large three-light Perpendicular window adorns the south side of the nave. The chancel's east window is of four lights and possibly dates to the 14th century. The west part of the chancel roof is hipped, evidently designed to accommodate a four-light timber window in the gable of the nave. The east wall of the chancel is not at right angles to the body of the building owing to the highly constricted site; consequently the chancel is longer on the south side than the north.

Internally, the church displays a tall arch without capitals leading to the tower, constructed of Thorverton or Raddon stone. The chancel arch has been truncated and is now capped by a segmental arch to accommodate the window above. The nave is covered by a waggon roof divided into panels by ribs, while the chancel ceiling is also of waggon shape but without panelling.

The walls are plastered and whitened throughout. The church escaped major Victorian restoration and retains an extensive collection of pre-Victorian woodwork. The west gallery features a painting of the arms of Bishop Jonathan Trelawny (bishop 1689–1708) on its panelled front, and a further painting of the arms of George III whose shield dating to 1801–16 indicates updating of the gallery decoration. The box pews likely date from the late 17th or early 18th century, as does the panelled pulpit (though this has also been dated to the early 19th century). The twisted altar rails, probably of late 17th-century date, surround the altar on three sides. The reredos comprises two central arch panels flanked by square ones, though the inscriptions of the Lord's Prayer and similar texts have been painted out. An unusual octagonal font stands beneath the tower; on its north side, attached to the stem, is a small subsidiary bowl, very occasionally found on English fonts and possibly intended to hold the chrism used in medieval baptism. A hatchment decorates the south wall of the nave.

The church contains a number of significant wall monuments. The most impressive commemorates Philip Hooper (died 1715), located in the chancel north; it depicts him kneeling in a mighty wig at a desk with a pile of books, set within an architectural surround. Other notable monuments honour Judith Wakeman (died 1643), Edward Seaward (1703), John Codrington (died 1801), and Eliza Mortimer (died 1826). Several of these monuments came from St Paul's Church, Exeter, which was demolished in 1936. A little medieval glass survives in the west and nave south windows; that in the south side of the nave bears the arms of Bishop Lacy (bishop 1420–55), who is known to have given a window to the church, presumably this one.

The church is now vested in the Churches Conservation Trust and has been carefully conserved in recent times. It forms part of a group of small churches in central Exeter that collectively demonstrate how abundantly medieval English towns and cities were supplied with places of worship, and it maintains exceptionally strong group value with the northern side of the cathedral close and the heart of the city.