Church of St James

Church of St James, Iddesleigh

Parish church with 13th-century origins, though the main fabric dates to the 15th century. The building underwent partial rebuilding in 1846–48 and restoration in 1879. It is constructed of coursed slate stone rubble walls with granite ashlar incorporated into the tower buttresses. The roof is slate with late 19th-century decorative ridge tiles.

The plan comprises a nave, chancel, north aisle and chapel, west tower, and south porch. The earliest architectural feature is a 13th-century effigy in the north chapel, suggesting origins older than the main surviving structure. A vestry was added at the west end of the north aisle in 1850.

The four-stage west tower has angle buttresses with battlements and crocketted pinnacles. Gargoyles depicting crouching animal figures sit at the top of each buttress. The belfry openings are two-light granite with segmental headed lights, except on the east side where they have cinquefoiled heads. The limestone west doorway has a two-centred head richly moulded with trailing vine carving in high relief, now much eroded. Large restored Perpendicular west window and a smaller window above light this elevation. A rectangular stair projects from the north side of the tower, and a 19th-century vestry stands between the north aisle and tower.

The north aisle features three partly restored tall three-light Perpendicular windows. Its east window, similarly detailed, has a granite panel below carved with flower and heraldic arms devices. The east window has been completely restored in Perpendicular style, as has a two-light window on the south side of the nave, which retains only its original granite jambs and mullions.

The south porch is a single-storey gabled structure with a granite round-headed doorway flanked by a double roll-moulded arch and hoodmould above. A small slate sundial, dated 1720, is positioned above. On the west of the porch, the nave wall contains two early 16th-century trefoil-headed windows, one above the other, possibly indicating an early gallery at the nave's west end.

Internally, a tall three-bay granite arcade with Pevsner A-type piers divides the space. These piers have moulded cup capitals and four-centred moulded arches. The chancel arch and arch to the north chapel have been rebuilt with plaster. A tall four-centred undecorated tower arch rises above. Internal walls are covered with 20th-century render. Original wagon roofs survive with high relief moulding to the ribs and carved bosses. Wall-plates are partly restored and carved. The chancel roof rests on 19th-century angel corbels.

An early 17th-century semi-octagonal panelled pulpit with integral carved lectern occupies the interior. Its top panels are carved with strapwork design. A section of 15th-century screen with Perpendicular tracery survives in the north chapel, renovated in 1883.

The octagonal granite font has carved panels and a moulded shaft; churchwarden's accounts suggest a date of 1538. It is topped with a good 17th-century pointed wooden cover with finials at top and corners, and a frieze of strapwork and foliage design.

A 13th-century effigy of a knight lies under a low arch on the north wall of the chapel, believed to represent one of the Sully family, probably the church's founders. The figure wears chain armour and a flat helmet and holds a shield. A good slate wall memorial dated 1681 to Wilmot Veale, wife of the rector, stands on the north wall of the chancel. The inscription is in gothic script with a high relief carved figure of a woman and child to the right.