Church Of St Michael And All Angels

This parish church represents several building phases spanning from the 12th century to the 19th century, with a notable restoration by the architect William White in 1857. The building is constructed of volcanic trap rubble with freestone dressings, mostly Bath stone, and has asbestos slate roofs with 19th-century crested ridge tiles on the nave and chancel.

The church comprises a nave, chancel, west tower, four-bay north arcade (with one bay extending to the chancel), and south porch. Its architectural development is complex. The core may date from the 13th century as a nave and chancel church with west tower, though the tower's precise dating is uncertain and it shows similarities to the church at Bickleigh. The north aisle, a four-bay addition, appears to date from the early 16th century, as does the south porch.

An early restoration occurred around 1840, when the east and tower windows were described as "new", along with the altar and communion rails. The chancel roof may also date from this campaign. A more substantial restoration was undertaken in 1857 by William White, who rebuilt the south wall, replaced the north aisle windows, and installed a new nave roof.

Exterior

The chancel has an east gable coped with Ham Hill stone and crowned with a cross. Its three-light east window is in Perpendicular style from around 1840, complete with hoodmould. The two south windows are William White's work: a single cinquefoil-headed light to the east and a two-light Decorated style window to the west. Between them is a characteristic White feature—a narrow priest's door inserted within a wide buttress with set-offs. This doorway is chamfered and stopped, with a pointed segmental arch and a two-plank door with strap hinges.

On the nave's south side, east of the porch, is a White window with three flush trefoil-headed lights; a similar two-light window stands west of the porch. The north aisle has coped north and south gables, both crowned with crosses. The east window, three lights from 1840, has a hoodmould. The north side windows, dating from White's 1857 work, are asymmetrically placed: two three-light windows with trefoil-headed lights and a similar single-light window to the west. A 19th-century buttress with set-offs also dates from this phase.

The west tower is a three-stage structure without buttresses, string courses, or pinnacles, but finished with battlements. It is slightly battered and has a large projecting rectangular north stair turret with slit windows. Though similar to Bickleigh church, the battlementing has been rebuilt. The west face features a volcanic trap shallow-moulded doorway with a pointed segmental arch, cushion stops, and a 19th-century plank and cover strip door with strap hinges. Above this is a three-light Perpendicular west window from around 1840 with hoodmould. The two-light belfry opening has a 19th-century lintel creating trefoil-headed lights; the original was probably cinquefoil-headed, as seen in the belfry opening on the north face. The belfry openings on the east and south faces are of granite with two segmental arched lights. The south face has a cinquefoil-headed opening at bell-ringers' stage.

The south porch has a coped gable crowned with a cross and flush buttresses with set-offs. Its outer doorway is double-chamfered, two-centred, and executed in volcanic trap, with the inner order dying into the walls. Inside the porch are timber-topped benches and an early 16th-century two-bay arch-braced roof with moulded purlins and a collar purlin; the southernmost truss is a 19th-century replacement. The inner doorway is moulded, two-centred, in volcanic trap with cushion stops. The door is probably 20th century but incorporates an earlier lock box.

Interior

The walls are plastered. A timber chancel arch is formed by the abutment of the nave and chancel roofs. The plain tower arch has a panelled soffit. A black and red tiled dado runs around the church and dates from the 19th century.

The four-bay arcade has been painted but is probably constructed of Beer stone. It features shallow-moulded Tudor arches and piers with corner shafts, capped by good quality varied carved capitals. The north aisle roof is probably early 16th century: a keeled unceiled waggon design with moulded principal ribs. The chancel roof, possibly from around 1840, follows a similar design but includes a carved wallplate and carved bosses. William White's three-bay nave roof is arch-braced with a collar purlin and collars between the common rafters, which are backed by diagonal boarding. The easternmost truss, forming the chancel arch, is carried on painted wooden posts set on corbels.

Fittings and Furnishings

The church contains numerous fittings of interest. The reredos is said to date from 1890 according to the church guide, though it appears earlier and may be from 1840 with later marble embellishments. It extends the width of the east end with gabled commandment boards to left and right, a central nodding ogee arch, and flanking blind arcading. Polychromatic marble decorates the niches, including a corbel to support an altar cross. A stone credence table is supported on a marble demi-angel.

The floor tiling, probably from 1857, includes memorials to members of the Coleridge family. A timber Gothic communion rail dates from 1840. The altar, documented in situ in 1843 by Davidson, is made up of fine, minutely-traceried panels, probably 16th century and unlikely to be of English craftsmanship.

The choir contains interesting stalls made up of a mixture of medieval and 19th-century bench ends. One bench end is especially notable: shouldered with a crocketted head and carved with intersecting tracery very similar to the notable set at Atherington in North Devon. An unusual 17th-century lectern, originally from Ottery St Mary according to Cresswell, features strapwork decoration and a turned stem.

A stone drum pulpit, possibly from around 1840, is decorated with blind arches. The font is an unusual, probably 12th-century volcanic trap piece with a square bowl, scalloped underneath, on a round stem with decoration on the plinth. The stem and plinth are 19th century. The font cover, circa 1840, was clearly not designed for the present font; it has an ogival profile and is carved with blind tracery.

The benches in the nave are utilitarian 19th-century examples with rectangular ends. The east end of the south aisle forms a family pew screened off by a low early 19th-century Gothic screen.

A chest in the vestry, curtained off at the west end of the aisle, is said to date from 1606 according to Cresswell and retains some painted decoration.

Monuments

Several monuments of interest survive. In the floor at the east end of the south aisle are three ledger stones from the early 17th century, including a particularly fine example commemorating George Fursdon, who died in 1643. This includes armorial bearings in relief and a verse: "Bee dumbe thou influence of officious verse/Fursdon esquier lyes veild within this herse/Twoold bee to rude an insolence to his shrine/too cloathe transcendent merit with a line".

On the north wall of the chancel is an early 19th-century grey and white marble wall monument to George Fursdon, died 1837, signed E. Gaffin, Regent Street, London. In the aisle is a late 18th-century grey and white marble obelisk wall monument to Charles Hale, died 1795, with a long inscription on a white marble sarcophagus. Also in the aisle is a white marble wall monument to Elizabeth Lyon, died 1789, signed Kendall, Exeter: an obelisk with a draped urn. Several other 19th-century wall monuments are present.

Stained Glass

The church contains important late 15th-century stained glass in the east window of the north aisle, moved from the east window of the chancel. A central figure of Christ showing his wounds was clearly originally part of a Seven Sacraments design by the Doddiscombsleigh atelier of glass painters and is the largest single surviving figure from this workshop outside Exeter Cathedral. The flanking lights are probably by the Hardman company, who provided two windows in the north aisle and one in the south aisle. The westernmost window in the south aisle is by Clayton and Bell with a memorial date of 1877. The chancel windows are by Beer of Exeter.

This is a fine church with notable stained glass and a good restoration by William White. An illustration of the church in 1842 appears in W. Spreat's "Picturesque Sketches of the Churches of Devon".