Church Of St Martin

Church of St Martin

A parish church of the late 14th and late 15th centuries, with restoration work undertaken in 1841-2 (including rebuilding of the south porch) and further restoration in 1856. The church is constructed principally of brecchia ashlar, with the south aisle in brecchia and freestone rubble and the west wall rebuilt in coursed stone. The nave and north-east vestry are of brecchia brought to course, the porch is of snecked stone, and the roofs are slated.

The building comprises a west tower, nave, chancel, a five-bay south aisle (with one bay extending to the chancel), south porch, and north-east vestry. The architectural style is Perpendicular, with the south aisle probably dating to the late 15th century. The south chancel chapel was refurbished as the Peamore aisle in 1631, the chancel was restored in 1841-2, and the Peamore aisle was restored in 1856.

The chancel features a coped gable with kneelers and a three-light early 19th-century window with a hoodmould. The north wall of the nave contains three three-light Perpendicular windows of varying designs: the easternmost is 19th-century with a hoodmould; the central window lacks cusping in the head tracery and may be 16th-century; the westernmost has a more steeply arched design with cusped tracery. The south aisle has a three-light Perpendicular west window with a hoodmould, and a three-light Perpendicular window of different design on the western side. The two eastern windows are 19th-century Perpendicular with hoodmoulds, probably dating to the 1850s, while the westernmost window preserves the remains of medieval label stops. The south porch has a 19th-century double-chamfered outer doorway, with the inner arch dying into the aisle. The interior of the porch contains stone benches and a 19th-century ceiled wagon roof with slender moulded ribs and flat floral bosses. The double-chamfered inner doorway is medieval, its inner order featuring bar cushion stops.

The west tower is a handsome battlemented structure of three stages without pinnacles. It has a battlemented polygonal north-east stair turret rising above the height of the tower, diagonal buttresses to the west, and a single buttress to the south-east. The Beerstone west doorway is arched and moulded, set below a three-light 14th-century Perpendicular west window. Two-light traceried belfry openings appear on all four faces, with one-light cinquefoil-headed openings on the south and north faces at bellringers' stage.

The north-east vestry and organ chamber feature two gables to the north. The vestry has an octagonal brattishe chimney shaft, a two-light circa 1870s Decorated window, and a chamfered Tudor-arched doorway in the north wall. The organ chamber contains a re-used medieval Perpendicular window.

The interior has plastered walls except for the tower, and no chancel arch. The tower arch is chamfered and dies into the walls. The nave and south aisle have ceiled wagon roofs with moulded ribs and carved bosses, while the chancel roof is an open wagon. The arcade comprises five bays with one bay to the chancel, featuring octagonal brecchia monolith piers with moulded capitals and double-chamfered rounded arches, similar in design to Dunchideock Church. This double-chamfered rounded arch, found in other local churches, may represent a distinctive regional Perpendicular feature.

A ten-bay rood screen extends across the nave and aisle. It has been thoroughly restored in the early 20th century with the coning and most of the frieze replaced. Medieval rood loft stairs and doorway survive.

The ceiling of the Peamore aisle, now the Lady Chapel, is remarkable. It comprises a ceiled wagon with moulded plaster ribs and large figures in relief in panels embellished with angels and stars. Named figures of the twelve apostles and four evangelists are depicted, with scenes in the spandrels of the east window showing the Nativity, Christ carrying the cross and the Resurrection, accompanied by representations of the globe, sun and moon above the window arch.

The chancel contains a good stone reredos with gabled frames to the commandment boards dating from the 1841 restoration. On the north wall is a Beerstone monument erected in 1608 to Otho Petre (died 1607), comprising a chest with kneeling figures divided by Corinthian columns with achievements above and a long punning Latin verse on the name of Petre. A tall squint with an arched head opens into the Peamore aisle.

The nave contains a good late 17th or early 18th-century timber drum pulpit on a wineglass stem, with fielded panels to each side featuring acanthus borders and foliage carving. The octagonal font has deeply-cut tracery on the bowl and a stem with tracery decoration. Early 20th-century benches and bench ends by the Herbert Read firm feature various decoration.

On the north wall of the nave is a wall monument to Philipa Cooke (died 1690), comprising an oval inscription tablet and cartouche flanked by Corinthian columns and crowned by a swan-necked pediment with an achievement, retaining ancient colour. The Peamore aisle contains an unusual wall monument to Grace Tothill (died 1623), which elaborates the conventional arrangement of Corinthian columns flanking an inscription tablet with a verse by adding a small figure in relief resting on one elbow at the base.

Among numerous early 19th-century wall tablets, the memorial to Philip Stowey (died 1804), signed by J. Kendal, is notable for its design of a grey obelisk with an urn and inscription. The east window memorial date of 1876 is probably by Beer and Driffield. A late Morris and Co. window with memorial date 1923 is located on the north side. Two fragmentary medieval stained glass figures survive in the vestry.

The Perpendicular work is conventional in style, though much restored. The plasterwork of the Peamore aisle is the most remarkable feature, and the church contains several good monuments.