Church Of St Michael And All Angels

The Church of St Michael and All Angels is a parish church with a west tower likely dating to the 13th century, parts of the chancel, nave, and aisle from the 14th century, and a 15th-century remodelling including the arcade. The church underwent several restorations between 1872 and 1898, following plans to replace the dilapidated building of 1870. The building is constructed of local stone rubble with slate roofs and dressings of Bath, Beer, and volcanic stone, with a Beerstone arcade.

The church consists of a west tower, nave, chancel, a five-bay north aisle, a north-east vestry, and a south porch. The tower is in plain Early English style. Some Decorated tracery is seen in the nave aisle and chancel, with the remainder being Perpendicular. The impressive, battlemented west tower features a projecting north-east stair turret, angle buttresses, a double-chamfered west doorway, and a 3-light 14th-century west window with intersecting tracery. Most of the chancel and nave windows have been renewed. A 2-centred south priest's doorway is present, along with a 3-sided rood stair turret containing a scratch dial. The large porch features a plain 2-centred outer doorway, a chamfered 2-centred inner doorway, and a 15th-century arch-braced roof.

The interior has unplastered walls. A 15th-century moulded chancel arch with a panelled soffit is visible, as is a plain 2-centred tower arch. The five-bay 15th-century arcade has carved capitals. The nave and aisle have 15th-century wagon roofs with moulded ribs and carved bosses, with the plaster infill having been removed. The chancel wagon roof is boarded with an extra rib over the sanctuary. A 2-light window is located above the chancel arch lights, and a rood screen exists.

The chancel contains an 18th-century, pedimented timber reredos in the Roman style, originally incorporating an oil painting. A 14th-century ogee-headed cusped piscina is also present, along with 19th-century altar rails and decorative tiling. The remains of a probable late 15th-century cataclews tomb chest are affixed to the north wall. A seven-bay Perpendicular chancel screen, of Pevsner type A, was restored by Herbert Read in 1938. The nave contains plain late 19th-century benches, a Jacobean timber drum pulpit panelled and carved, and an eagle lectern from 1818. A 15th-century octagonal font, probably partly recut, is also present. A late 19th-century tower screen has 20th-century glazing above. The tower holds several late 17th-century memorials used as floor slabs. A wall tablet in the chancel commemorates John Tristram, who died in 1732, featuring a cartouche surround. 19th-century wall plaques in the nave include one signed W. Emes, Exeter, to Elizabeth Penton, who died in 1829. A window in the nave contains fragments of late 15th-century stained glass, restored by Maurice Drake in 1921. A 2-light window above the chancel arch was created by Drake & Sons of Exeter in 1919. A memorial plaque fixed to the external wall of the tower commemorating the clerk's son has the unusual inscription: “Bless my eyes… / Here he lies / In a sad Pickle / Killed by Icicle / In the year 1776.”