Church Of St Peter Ad Vincula

Church of St Peter ad Vincula

This Grade I listed parish church at Combe Martin has substantial 13th-century fabric to the south transept and, principally on the south side, to the chancel and nave. In the early 15th century, the north aisle, north chancel chapel, north porch and west tower were added, and in the late 15th or early 16th century a north transept was constructed. The south porch was rebuilt in 1725. The church underwent restoration in 1858 and again in 1881.

The building is constructed of stone rubble with ashlar dressings, except for the south porch which has a dressed stone facade. Roofs are of slate with coped gable ends and apex crosses. Embattled parapets appear on the west tower, vestry, north transept and north porch.

The plan comprises a west tower, nave, chancel, north aisle and chancel chapel, north and south transepts and porches. The church was probably originally cruciform, with an earlier north transept removed when the north aisle was added.

The impressively tall west tower rises through four stages, topped by an embattled parapet with crocketted corner pinnacles surmounted by crosses. Setback buttresses carry grotesque carved animal-figures at the top offsets and trefoil-headed niches on the north and south sides containing statues. An integral stair turret stands at the south-west corner. Large three-light Perpendicular bell-openings appear on each face. The west window is Perpendicular, of four lights with a pointed arched corbelled hoodmould and a cusped niche above containing a figure of Christ. The Perpendicular west doorway features a label hoodmould with fleuron and shield decoration around the central hollow moulding.

The south side displays a single trefoil-headed light to the second stage above a window of two trefoil-headed lights with quatrefoil tracery. Beside this is an ogee-headed niche to the right with a statue. Three narrow 19th-century windows in Perpendicular style, of two lights each, stand one to each side of the south porch and the third to the south transept. The westernmost window bears traces of a 15th-century four-centred arch, while the embrasures of the other two are 13th-century, widened slightly in the 18th century.

The south porch has an unmoulded semi-circular headed dressed stone doorway with a slate sundial above dated 1753. It features a plain ceiled barrel roof. The inner pointed arched doorway has a chamfered surround and a 19th-century door incorporating an old sanctuary ring and lock. Opposing boards above the arches at either end bear painted texts; that over the inner doorway is nowy-arched with painted angels bust to the top.

Within the south transept is a slate wall monument to the left of the window by R Pile of Ilfracombe with inscription to Mary Clegg (died 1810). The chancel south side has two 19th-century lancets flanking a trefoil-headed priests' door. A wall tablet records Johan Ash (died 1668) and her husband. A stepped three-light lancet forms the east window. Two slate wall headstones to the left commemorate William Cutcliffe, mariner by W Facey, and Jane Cutcliffe (died 1832). A large Perpendicular style four-light east window lights the north aisle. Two slate wall headstones below record Mary Lerwill (died 1837) and her husband, and Richard Nutt (died 1781), described as 'last of that family called Nutt from Coulcott', with an indictment never to open these graves. A third slate headstone commemorates Thomas Wade, 'some years a faithful assistant in the Free School in Combe Martin' (died 1773).

The north side displays a symmetrical arrangement of vestry, transept and porch with diagonal buttresses and an embattled parapet. A single lancet appears on the east side of the vestry. A four-light Perpendicular style four-centred arched window to the south transept is flanked by pointed-arched Perpendicular style windows to the north aisle. A lead rainwater head sits in the angle of the south transept and north aisle. The height of the porch suggests it once contained a parvise. An infilled niche above the pointed arched doorway features a moulded surround with engaged shafts. The pointed arched inner door has a board above bearing a painted text. On the external east wall of the porch are two wall monuments: that to the left is early 19th-century, straight-headed with incised Ionic pilasters to a round arch, winged angels to the spandrels and an inscription to members of the Dovell family; that to the right is ogee-headed with an angel to the top and an inscription to John Linch, joiner (died 1781), 'Aged about 65 years'. Two three-light Perpendicular style windows appear to the right of the porch and to the west end of the aisle.

The interior features fine waggon roofs throughout (except to the south transept which has a plain ceiled barrel roof) with moulded ribs and purlins and carved bosses at the intersections. The north transept roof is of smaller panels with carved paterae to the centre of each panel. Stone corbels at intervals to the nave and north aisle below the wall plates probably formerly carried carved demi-angels at the foot of each rib.

The north arcade to the nave comprises three bays with Pevsner B-type piers and stiff-leaf capitals. Twin arches between the chancel and chancel chapel feature the western pier with double trefoil-headed blind tracery to north and south sides. On the west side are two canopied niches with two statues supported on slender engaged faceted shafts with original painted scrolling foliage pattern below and to the backs of the niches. These niches are incorporated in a fine 15th-century screen of nine-and-a-half bays. The chancel bays contain three panels, the chancel chapel bays four panels; all except three retain original painted figures. Each bay has four lights with Pevsner type A tracery; the stiles, muntins and back middle rail retain chevron and other painted decoration. The coving and cornice are 20th-century replacements to the front, but to the rear at the west end above the arches is a plastered cornice bearing the date 1727 and initialled IP TH.

A late 15th or early 16th-century parclose screen with carved spandrels and cornice comprises five bays. Pevsner 'B' type mouldings appear on the tall pointed tower arch, with similar responds to the north transept arch featuring concave capitals. A 13th-century unmoulded pointed arch serves the south transept. A 19th-century patterned tiled floor covers the chancel. The nave contains 19th-century seating.

A 15th-century font has an octagonal lead-lined bowl decorated with blind traceried panels to each facet, a short circular stem with four outer supporting colonettes. A 16th-century oak chest stands in the interior. A semi-circular headed doorway at the foot of the rood loft stairs survives in the south transept. Ten 16th-century carved bench ends stand in the north chancel chapel, some of the benches retaining original timber. A probably 15th-century vestry plank door with original sanctuary ring and lock survives, as does a similar door to the west tower stair turret. A large painted Royal Arms adorns the west tower.

Monuments are distributed throughout. In the chancel south wall is a monument to Richard Harding (died 1831) and family by J Gould of Barnstaple. The north aisle contains a monument to George Ley (died 1716), a rectangular plaque with pilasters and cherubs head above skull to the top, and an early 18th-century wall monument to the Harding family with fluted pilasters capped with urns, a semi-circular headed arch with achievement at the base and a plaque below with shaped head.

In the north chancel chapel, the north side displays a marble monument to Judith Ivatt (died 1634), wife of Thomas Ivatt, 'his Majesty's principal sercher in the port of London', with a semi-circular headed pediment, standing putti, achievement and frontal demi-figure flanked by colonnettes. A brass on the south side commemorates William Hancock (died 1587) with coat-of-arms above the inscription.

Stained glass appears in all principal windows: the chancel east window commemorates R M Thomas (died 1862), the south-west nave window Francis Thomas (died 1856), the north aisle west window William Dovell (died 1866), the north window the Harding family and the east window of the chancel chapel John and Mary Staple. The chancel west lancet retains some medieval glass to the central portion depicting seraphim and wheels.