Church Of St Mary

Church of St Mary

This small parish church represents an important sequence of medieval building campaigns, from its Late 12th-century core through to early 16th-century extensions. The structure comprises a nave with a smaller and lower chancel to the east, a west tower, and a substantially sized south aisle positioned east of the south porch.

The nave and chancel are built of random small-stone rubble with volcanic quoins, whilst the tower, porch, and aisle employ coursed, roughly-squared volcanic and mudstone with large volcanic quoins. Beer stone and volcanic ashlar are used for detail work throughout, and the roofs are slate.

The west tower, dating to the late 15th century, rises in two stages and features an embattled parapet. A square stair turret projects from the north side, also rising above the parapet with its own embattled finish. The tower contains volcanic 2-light belfry windows with rounded heads and shutters on each side. The west face has a volcanic flat-arched door with chamfered surround beneath a square-headed window with cinquefoil heads and sunken spandrels, framed by a hoodmould in which parts remain volcanic whilst other sections are likely 19th-century restoration in Beer stone. On the south side, a small volcanic rectangular light opens to the ringing loft above a string course.

The south porch, dating to the late 14th or early 15th century, is gable-ended and contains a 2-centred volcanic arch with chamfered surround and pyramid stops. A small rectangular niche sits beneath the gable. The eastern wall of the porch is now incorporated into the early to mid 16th-century south aisle, which projects further south than the porch. The south front of the aisle displays two 3-light square-headed Beer stone windows with rounded-arch heads and sunken spandrels, both partly restored. Between these windows is a small round-headed volcanic arch serving as a priests' door. The east wall of the aisle and its Beer stone 3-light ogee-headed window, together with a raking buttress positioned between the aisle and chancel, are likely 19th-century work undertaken to address structural failure of the east abutment of the arcade.

The chancel's restored east window is a Beer stone 3-light square-headed design. The chancel gable features 19th-century Beer stone kneelers and coping surmounted by a plain cross. Irregularities in the blind north chancel wall suggest earlier blockings. The north side of the nave, which projects slightly and stands higher than the chancel, contains two square-headed windows: the left is Beer stone with 3 ogee-headed lights and possibly represents unrestored late 15th-century work, whilst the right is volcanic with 4 lights featuring flat-arched heads and represents original early 16th-century work.

Interior

The church contains notable interior features spanning several centuries. The south door exhibits a late Norman arch with half-engaged circular shafts and scalloped capitals, together with a double segmental arch showing evidence of a once-substantial hoodmould now cut back flush to the wall face. The door itself is 16th-century oak, studded and featuring vertical ovolo-moulded cover-strips.

The tower arch and the chancel arch are plain, almost round-headed designs with soffit-chamfered imposts, both likely dating to the late 12th century. The nave features a late 15th to early 16th-century ceiled waggon roof with moulded ribs and unusually primitive bosses. Several bosses repeat a female face, presumably representing St Mary. The lower chancel has a similar ceiled waggon roof, but without bosses. The south aisle contains an early to mid 16th-century ceiled waggon roof with moulded ribs and elaborately carved flat bosses.

The 3-bay arcade serving the south aisle (two of which overlap the chancel) features unusual moulded volcanic stone columns with undecorated capitals. Historical records indicate a parclose screen formerly occupied the easternmost arch, now lost. The flagged floor includes several grave slabs dating from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.

The tower contains a late 15th-century ringing floor of intersecting chamfered beams with carved bosses. It also houses a rare braced king-post bell-frame of approximately the same date and a 15th-century bell. Within the west wall of the aisle is a now-blocked volcanic aperture with quatrefoil surround that once opened into the porch. Of unknown original function but apparently predating the south aisle, it is positioned too low to have served as a window. A W Everett suggested it may have functioned as a confession aperture, with the priest seated in the porch and the penitent speaking from the graveyard.

The late 12th-century Beer stone font stands near the south door and features a late cushion bowl with semi-circular faces meeting at the corners. The vertical dressing with narrow borders is likely modern work. It is supported by what is probably a 13th-century base comprising a central pier with 4 half-engaged flanking shafts with simple capitals, all mounted upon a square volcanic stone plinth.

At the rear of the nave are 7 late 15th to early 16th-century oak pews with carved bench ends, accompanied by a bench frontal whose carved end is surmounted by a crouching lion. An early 18th-century oak pulpit with fielded panel sides is present. Later furnishings include a Minton tile reredos of circa 1875 featuring an unusual set of blue signs of the zodiac, and a small painted moulded plaster royal arms of the 18th century positioned over the south door.

Monuments and Memorials

The north side of the chancel displays a large early 17th-century mural monument in marble with traces of ancient colour, believed to commemorate Sir Richard Reynells of Lower Creedy and his wife. The monument depicts the pair facing one another in prayer either side of a prie-dieu featuring a skull and hourglass, rendered in painted marble. Free-standing Ionic columns flank this central composition, carrying a moulded entablature and resting on moulded sills supported by plain consoles. Between the columns is a plaque in a strapwork cartouche, its surface and inscription now flaked away. Below lies a grey marble slab inscribed with heraldic achievement. Historical sources indicate that Richard Periham obtained the Upton Hellions estate through marriage to Mary; he died in 1631 and she in 1662.

The south aisle contains additional marble memorials from the 18th and 19th centuries, including one dated 1794 commemorating Reverend James Carington, Chancellor of the Diocese of Exeter. This memorial features a pediment head surmounted by a bas-relief vase.