Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is a parish church, largely rebuilt in the 15th century, possibly by Sir Richard de Pomeroy. It was restored around the late 17th century and again in 1878-79. The church is constructed of stone rubble with freestone dressings and slate roofs, with the tower rendered. It comprises a nave and chancel under a single roof, along with north and south aisles. A restored five-light Perpendicular window with panel tracery features in the east wall. The north and south aisles have embattled parapets, thin buttresses with set-offs, and restored four-light Perpendicular windows with panel tracery. A rood stair turret is located on the north side.

A two-storeyed south porch, with an embattled parapet and diagonal buttresses, provides access. The porch has a moulded round-arch doorway with a heavy label and a two-light window above. A sundial dated 1687 is fixed to the porch. A stair turret is situated on the west side of the porch. The interior of the porch is notable for its two bays of octopartite vaults with blank arcades on both the east and west sides. The inner south door is part of a screen and is glazed. The tall west tower has two stages and features a C13/14 moulded doorway. The tower includes an embattled parapet, three-light bell openings, a restored Perpendicular four-light west window, and thin set-back buttresses with set-offs.

Inside, the nave is wide with five-bay north and south arcades, exhibiting moulded two-centred arches resting on piers with four shafts. These shafts possess wavy moulding between them, and leaf frieze capitals, some bearing the names of benefactors. A tall, moulded tower arch features shafted responds and moulded capitals. The nave and chancel have a late 19th-century boarded segmental wagon roof, while the aisles have a late 19th-century flat roof. A fine C15 rood screen separates the nave from the aisles, and a parclose screen retains original colour, including defaced painted figures on the wainscot panels. The screen also has traceried decoration above and a vaulted coving with a finely carved, pulvinated frieze with vine and grapes, and cresting above. A C15 octagonal font with quatrefoil panels is also present. Most other furnishings date from the Victorian period, with the exception of a reused early 18th-century altar rail in the north aisle and a C17 carved chest in the south aisle. Monuments include the tomb of Sir Richard Pomeroy (1496) and his wife in the north side of the chancel, featuring a tomb chest with quatrefoil panels in a niche with a carved Tudor arch. A Seymour monument of 1613 depicts Sir Edward Seymour and his son, Lord Edward Seymour, along with their wives and children. A wall monument commemorates Revd John Prince (1681-1723), Vicar of St Mary's and author of "The worthies of Devon”. Other 18th and 19th-century wall monuments are also present. A floor slab in the chancel is dedicated to Robert Lyde (1615) and his family. Finally, there is a painted Royal Arms of William III, accompanied by an inscription.