Church Of St Mary The Virgin

Church of St Mary the Virgin

This is a parish church of 15th-century date with an early 16th-century north aisle, a late 19th-century south porch and vestry, and a late 19th or early 20th-century boiler house. A 14th-century window, probably re-used, is set in the tower. The church underwent thorough restoration in 1883–84, during which the south wall, south porch, and the east and west gables of the north aisle were rebuilt. The restoration architects were Ewan Christian of London, who worked on the chancel, and Robert Medley Fulford of Exeter, who oversaw the remainder of the work.

The building is constructed principally of Devonian limestone with granite detailing for the medieval work and Ham Hill stone for elements added during the 1883–84 restoration. The roofs are slated. The plan comprises a nave, chancel, north aisle, west tower, and south porch, with a vestry at the east end of the north aisle and a boiler house at the west end.

The south wall of the nave and chancel contains four Perpendicular 3-light windows that appear to be originals reset in place, though some detail has been replaced with new granite. The mullions in the two middle windows and much of the head-tracery of the left-hand window of the pair have been extensively renewed. The two end windows are taller than those in the middle and have pointed rather than ogee heads to the lights. Between the two right-hand windows stands a priest's door with a 2-centred arch decorated with ogee, three-quarter round and hollow mouldings, together with sunk spandrels; a straight hood-mould rises above. Between the two middle windows is an ornate Gothic buttress of Ham Hill stone, added in 1883–84. Under the tile eaves runs a hollow-moulded granite corbel table. The east gable has kneelers and a stone coping; all but one kneeler-stone on the south side have been restored. The Perpendicular east window contains 3 lights and matches the outer windows in the south wall.

The north aisle possesses three windows, all of 3 lights with straight hood-moulds. The two eastern windows have Tudor-arched lights with sunk spandrels; the western window is closely similar except that the arches are segmental. Just to the left of this window is a straight joint, suggesting that the aisle was extended westwards in the early or mid 16th century. The mullions in all three windows have been renewed. Between the two eastern windows stands a rather crude 5-sided stair turret to the rood loft; it overlaps the hood-mould of the eastern window and appears to be a later addition. It has a slit window and an inserted door of late 19th or early 20th-century date. The east and west walls of the aisle were rebuilt in 1883–84 and each contains a traceried window of that period. The part of the north wall of the chancel not overlapped by the aisle has a corbel-table matching that on the south side.

The west tower is tapered and of two stages, with a 5-sided stair turret on the south. The lower stage has a chamfered plinth. In the west face is a lightly-moulded round-arched doorway with pyramid stops, set within a moulded rectangular frame; a late 19th-century door with ornate wrought-iron strap-hinges closes it. Above the doorway is a 3-light window with intersecting tracery. The lower stage is finished with a moulded stringcourse, just above which is a single-light window with a pointed arch in the east face. The belfry openings are pointed, two to each face and paired, except in the south face where they flank the stair turret and have almost rounded arches with straight hood-moulds. The stair turret has five slit windows, the three lowest with pointed arches. The tower is finished with a stringcourse and crenellated parapet; the pinnacle on each corner was renewed in 1883–84. The south porch, rebuilt in 1883–84, has heavy angle-buttresses. Its doorway is ogee-headed, culminating in a finial which also forms the base of an empty niche in the gable. The vestry, added in 1883–84, has a 3-sided angle turret with ogee-headed windows; above it, against the east wall of the aisle, rises a buttressed chimney with a gabled cap.

Interior

The north arcade contains four pointed, double-chamfered arches on octagonal piers with chamfered caps. The piers of the two eastern arches, which are probably earlier than the rest, have hollowed faces. The tower arch is rounded with chamfered imposts. A doorway at the foot of the tower stairs is of chamfered granite with a pointed arch and pyramid stops.

On the north wall of the north aisle is a painted red and black panel flanked with C-scrolls, probably of late 17th or early 18th-century date. It bears the inscription: "How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts. My soul longeth yea even fainteth for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. Psalm 84.1.2"

The nave, chancel and north aisle have wagon roofs of probably early 16th-century character, though much restored in 1883–84; the chancel roof is said to have been wholly rebuilt. The roofs have moulded ribs with carved bosses at the intersections. The nave and chancel feature cornices of intertwined vine leaves, against which are set angels holding shields, one positioned at the foot of each arch-brace. In the chancel the angels' wings are unfurled, while at the west end of the nave one angel on each side appears to be on the point of unfurling its wings. The north aisle retains part of a similar cornice at the west end, but without angels.

Fittings

An octagonal granite font, probably of 15th or early 16th-century date, has a plain plinth, shaft and bowl. It is topped with a flat-sided wooden cover of 17th-century date, fitted with a handle on top resembling a turned baluster; the sides are carved with fruit, serpents and winged cherub-heads. The cover was restored in 1883–84 by Harry Hems of Exeter. Before restoration, the font stood in the north arcade facing the south door.

The chancel stalls, altar table, lectern and credence table are by Harry Hems; the stalls incorporate six old linenfold panels. The bellframe was replaced in 1960.

Monuments

On the east wall of the chancel, to the right of the window, is a stone tablet of 1689, surrounded by C-scrolls and topped with a coat-of-arms; traces of red, black and gold paint survive. Several good 17th-century tomb slabs lie on the floor of the chancel and north aisle.