Church Of St John The Baptist

A parish church of early 15th-century date, with coursed stone construction, partly rendered, granite rubble tower, and freestone and granite dressings beneath a slate roof. The church was restored in 1881–83 to the designs of the rector, Reverend R Dennett, and underwent further restoration from 1899–1901 by Ponting of Marlborough.

The plan comprises a west tower, nave, chancel, north aisle, north-east Lady Chapel, south porch, and north-west vestry. The architectural style is Perpendicular throughout, with heraldic glass dating from the period of Bishop Lacy (1420–55), suggesting the whole church may be of this date. The 1899–1901 restoration involved repairing the roof and window tracery, reslating and relaying the floor, and probably also dates the choir stalls and restoration of the screen.

The chancel is gabled with a 3-light 19th-century Perpendicular east window. A shallow rectangular rood loft stair turret projects from the south side. The south wall features a moulded arched priest's doorway with a 3-plank 17th-century door and two Perpendicular windows with considerable 19th-century stonework replacement. The nave has a gabled rendered porch flanked by similar Perpendicular windows. The north aisle, flush with the chancel at its east end, has an east window matching the chancel and five 3-light Perpendicular north windows with much replaced stonework, plus a 19th-century 3-light Perpendicular west window with uncarved label stops. The 3-stage battlemented west tower is constructed of dressed moorstone with corner obelisk finials, diagonal buttresses with set-offs, string courses, a plinth, and an internal south-west stair. It displays a fine Perpendicular granite west window with deeply traceried door, a 3-light granite Perpendicular window deeply recessed, 2-light chamfered belfry openings on all four faces, and chamfered 1-light openings to the bellringers' stage on the west and south faces. The porch is gabled with a rounded chamfered outer doorway and a chamfered inner doorway containing a probably 17th-century plank and stud door. Above is a trefoil-headed statue niche. The porch features a moulded arch braced medieval roof with brattished wallplate and medieval stone benches.

The interior is outstanding for its Perpendicular fittings, painting, and stained glass. The walls are plastered with no chancel arch. A fine double-chamfered granite tower arch with moulded responds and capitals opens into an unusually elaborate 5-bay Beerstone arcade (with 1 bay extending into the chancel), with piers of clustered shafts topped by capitals similar to the tower arch, and moulded arches. Open waggon roofs with moulded ribs, carved foliage bosses, and brattished wallplates span the nave and chancel.

An important 8-bay 15th-century roodscreen survives, its coving an early 20th-century replacement incorporating some medieval carving. The roodscreen paintings are among the finest in the county, featuring conventional dado paintings on the west side and exceptionally fine large demi-figures on the east side and parclose (which has 6 square-headed traceried bays). A 2-centred granite doorway to the rood loft is rebated for a door.

A full set of Perpendicular nave bench ends and benches (with 20th-century repair) survives. Most bench ends feature 2 tiers of blind tracery, and some benches retain good carved backs. The Perpendicular Beerstone font has an octagonal bowl with foliage carving at the junction with its stem. Carving on the bowl records heraldry said to commemorate the marriage in 1476 of Sir James Chudleigh of Place Barton and Margaret Stourton.

A fine late 16th-century timber drum pulpit with tester stands in the nave, its drum decorated with tiers of round-headed arches and strapwork, reeded pilasters, and a dentil frieze below the cornice. The tester is well-carved with applied ribs, bosses, and stars on its soffit.

The chancel contains a trefoil-headed piscina and a tomb recess below the south window, into which a moulded granite tomb slab with a cross is partly built. The chancel also features 18th-century altar rails, 19th-century tiling and choir stalls, and a 19th-century timber eagle lectern stands in the nave. Painted Royal Arms of 1735 in a nowy-headed frame hang over the nave door. A 17th-century altar table is placed in the north-east chapel.

A remarkable 17th-century timber wall monument to Sir George Chudleigh (died 1657) occupies the north wall. A timber board flanked by columns and crowned with armorial bearings and obelisk finials records the descent and matrimonial alliances of the Chudleighs with painted coats of arms and an inscription panel below. A severe Egyptian-style monument to William Godfrey (died 1798), signed by T Robinson, also stands on the north wall.

The stained glass dates to the early 15th century and was produced by the Doddiscombsleigh school of glass painters, evidently from a large original scheme. The surviving figure glass is fragmentary, but the heraldic glass in the head tracery is more complete, indicating Chudleigh alliances. The glass was restored in 1901–2 by F. Morris Drake of Exeter, who noted its remarkable technical qualities and designed the east window.

Unusually well-preserved wall painting on the north wall of the north-east chapel depicts the Mass of Saint Gregory, with further painting fragments on the east wall of the chapel. Other wall paintings likely survive beneath later plaster and paint.

This is an outstanding medieval church with important surviving medieval paintings, woodwork, and stained glass.