Church Of St Bartholomew

Church of St Bartholomew

A parish church with 12th-century origins, substantially rebuilt in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, with further improvements documented by a 1636 datestone and a major restoration by Halls of Dolton in 1889.

The church comprises a nave with north aisle, a lower and narrower chancel, a west tower, and a south porch. The tower is constructed of roughly-coursed local mudstone with granite dressings; the nave and porch are of random rubble with volcanic and granite detail; the chancel (mostly restored) is of snecked mudstone with rusticated Hatherleigh stone quoins and Bathstone detail; the north aisle is rusticated. Slate roofs have replaced oak shingles, with the chancel and porch fitted with crested ridge tiles. The architecture is predominantly Perpendicular, though the east window has been restored in Decorated style.

The late 15th to early 16th-century tower stands in two stages with massive granite quoins and low diagonal buttresses. An internal stair ascends the north-west corner, lit by narrow slit windows. The tower is topped by an embattled parapet and surmounted by a plain wrought iron weathercock (probably 19th century) on the south-east corner. Belfry windows are simple granite 2-lights with 3-centred heads. The west side features an original arched granite doorway with moulded surround and cushion stops, now containing a 19th-century door. Above this is a late 15th to early 16th-century granite square-headed 3-light window with elliptical (almost round-headed) heads and moulded hood. On the east side, a drip course marks an earlier and higher nave roof line.

The south side of the nave is 12th-century but contains later windows. One either side of the porch; the left window is a 2-light with elliptical heads and external ferramenta, associated with an internal datestone of 1636 although stylistically it appears late 15th to early 16th-century. The right window is possibly 17th century, built of volcanic stone with a round-headed hollow-chamfered surround.

The porch is late 15th to early 16th-century but heavily restored. It is gabled with Bathstone kneelers, coping and a plain Latin apex cross, with a plain round-headed outer arch.

The chancel appears to be a 19th-century rebuild. Its south side contains a single granite lancet, possibly reset 13th-century work. The east end has shaped Bathstone kneelers, coping and a Fleuree apex cross, with a 19th-century Bathstone 3-light window displaying Decorated-style tracery, moulded hood and carved medieval heads as labels. The north side of the chancel is blind.

The north aisle is little restored. Its east end contains a late 15th to early 16th-century granite square-headed 2-light window with elliptical heads and sunken spandrels. A similar 2-light window on the north side is built of volcanic stone with granite replacement mullion and head. To its right is a more 15th-century-looking square-headed 2-light window, heavily restored, with volcanic stone sides, granite sill and mullion, and limestone head containing pointed heads with cinquefoils and sunken spandrels. The west end is blind.

Interior

The porch roof contains a late 15th to early 16th-century barrel-vaulted roof with moulded purlin under the collars, much mended in the 19th century. The south doorway is Norman, built of purple-red volcanic stone with plain sides (retooled or rebuilt in the 19th century) and soffit-chamfered imposts carved with nailhead and spiral motifs imitating volutes at the corners. The left side is inscribed EMER. Only part of the round-headed arch survives; the remainder is made up of rubble voussoirs. The head is filled with timber to create an ogee arch. A painted board records a gift of £20 towards the 19th-century restoration, alongside a 19th-century plank door.

The nave has a 15th or 16th-century common rafter truss barrel-vaulted roof, now open. The chancel contains a 19th-century 3-bay wagon roof with moulded ribs and large carved bosses. There is no chancel arch; instead, a 19th-century arch-braced truss stands slightly lower than the wagon roof. The north aisle has a fine late 15th to early 16th-century open 8-bay wagon roof with moulded ribs and purlins. The original wall plate is carved as foliate openwork, and the carved oak bosses are mostly foliate, though some bear Bouchier and Stafford knots. A tall plain tower arch divides the spaces.

The arcade is unusual in being constructed entirely of oak, otherwise presenting a conventional appearance. It comprises 3 bays, with one overlapping the chancel. The posts are moulded (Type A in Pevsner's classification) with plain caps to the shafts only. There are no responds; the end arches are buried in the walls. The rear arch is propped by a 17th-century oak turned post. This is one of only two timber arcades surviving in Devon; the other is at Dowland, near Winkleigh.

The floor is 19th-century parquet except in the chancel, which is 19th-century tile with a display of encaustic tile around the altar. Most furnishings date to the 19th century: the altar, a Bathstone piscina with trefoil head, a credence, an oak altar rail on timber standards, a Gothic-style drum pulpit, a lectern (the pulpit and lectern made by W H Bushell of Down St Mary), stalls and plain deal benches. At the east end of the north aisle are some late 15th-century oak bench ends with moulded surrounds and simple Gothic carved panels. The west end of the nave has contemporary complete benches with similarly-carved ends.

The Beerstone font is Norman, a girdled tub. The girdle is enriched with a band of chevrons, with incised semicircles and stars and crosses below. The bowl bears inscribed rude representations of leaves and fleur-de-lys at irregular intervals, possibly secondary.

To the rear of the north aisle stands a fine 17th-century oak chest with carved and panelled front. The top frieze displays scrollwork, with arcades containing flowers in the panels and lunettes along the bottom. Alongside is a 17th-century oak table with turned legs. A painted board bearing the arms of George III, dated 1792, also occupies this area. A 19th-century wrought-iron sanctuary lamp now hangs from the arcade.

The chancel contains two plain marble mural memorials: one to William Wreford of Clearanger (died 1756) and his family up to 1810, the other to Roger Partridge of London (died 1851). Fragments of 18th-century stained glass remain in the east window of the north aisle. The east window of the nave includes Art Nouveau stained glass in memory of Leonard (died 1922) and Eleanor Partridge (died 1926).