Church Of St Mary

CHURCH OF ST MARY, STOCKLEIGH POMEROY

Parish church of 13th century date, extended in 1453 and restored in 1863 by W White. The building is constructed in red sandstone and volcanic trap with rubble walls and freestone dressings of volcanic trap, Beerstone and sandstone. The roof is laid in dry slate in bands of different sizes, with crested ridge tiles and coped gable ends.

The church comprises a nave, chancel, west tower, north aisle and south porch. The west tower dates to the 15th century and rises in one stage with a plinth, string under parapet with battlements and a square stair turret at the east end of the north side rising to a slightly higher level. The west doorway is a 19th century replacement. Above it is a 15th century three-light Perpendicular window with hoodmould. Three-light trefoil-headed windows with slate louvres and hoodmoulds light the bell storey to east, west and south.

The north aisle is 15th century with original Perpendicular three-light windows of Beerstone—three to the north wall and one to each coped gable end with hoodmould. The chancel projects beyond the north aisle and has weathered diagonal corner buttresses and a coped gable. 13th century walling survives to string level of the gable end and retains a single lancet to a blocked undercroft. Three-stepped lancets above the string are 19th century replacements. The south wall of the chancel is original to window head level and contains a plinth, two volcanic trap lancets and a weathered buttress between them.

The south wall of the nave was greatly rebuilt in the 19th century and has a two-light 19th century window to the left of the porch and a three-light 19th century window to the right, both in late 13th century style with hoodmoulds. The south porch is late 19th century with a coped gable and diagonal weathered corner buttresses. Its 19th century doorway has an ordered pointed arch with relieving arch over. The inner south doorway is a reconstruction of a late Norman doorway incorporating heavy roll-moulded jambs and inner arch, bullnosed impost stones and an outer arch with alternate billet mouldings and relieving arch over. The porch contains a 19th century arch-braced roof.

Interior: The north aisle features a 15th century oak waggon roof with cavetto and ovolo-moulded ribs and under purlins. The nave has 19th century crown post and tie beams with an arch-braced roof. The chancel has a 19th century arch-braced roof with moulded corbels. A pointed rubble tower arch with coved impost stones opens to the tower; an original oak door provides access to the tower stair. Painted rear arches survive to the aisle windows. Original rear arches remain to the chancel south windows. The chancel east windows have 19th century engaged shafts and rear arches.

A 13th century trefoil-headed piscina is set in the south wall of the chancel. Medieval glass is preserved in the centre light of the east window of the aisle. The finest feature is a white limestone 15th century arcade of four bays (Pevsner standard B) with steep four-centred arches carried on capitals with alternating plant, mermen and sea monster undercut carvings.

Fittings include a 19th century font with quatrefoils, coats of arms and Tudor flower carving. A fine 15th century Perpendicular oak tower screen (possibly a resited rood screen) has standard A Pevsner mouldings; Victorian reconstruction appears to the north end but traces of original paint remain to the original part. An early to mid 17th century oak polygonal pulpit stands on its original octagonal goblet base with Renaissance arabesques and carved masks to the sides and trailing vine carving to the handrail.

Fifteen 16th century oak bench ends with Renaissance carvings, most with original benches, line the north aisle. A further eleven similar bench ends with Victorian benches are found in the nave, alongside many Victorian copies. In the tower is a painted board of 1699 bearing the names of benefactors to the poor of the parish.

Simple wall headstones and many 17th and 18th century headstones are used as flooring, including one to Thomas Foxe, sometime Minister of Davidstowe (died 1685), wife of Obadiah Foxe, Rector of the parish from 1683.