Church Of All Saints

Church of All Saints

Parish church with origins in the early to mid 14th century, serving as a chantry for the monastery at Tavistock prior to 1460. The nave was largely rebuilt around the 1460s with the addition of a north aisle and west tower at the same period. A south porch was added in the late 15th century. The east wall of the chancel may have been partly rebuilt in 1774, with a date scratched into the masonry to record this. Reset tracery and a piscina survive from the original 14th-century structure.

The building is constructed of coursed stone with an ashlar west tower. The tower has a moulded plinth and string courses. The nave, chancel and north aisle have curved moulded plinths. On the south wall of the nave, the height of the plinth alters between the south porch and a buttress to the east. Slate roofs cover the building, with the nave and chancel under one roof that projects beyond the north aisle.

The west tower rises through three stages with set-back buttresses, a battlemented parapet, and octagonal crenellated turrets with crocketted finials. The west door sits beneath a round-headed relieving arch with a round granite arch, moulded jambs featuring three roll-mouldings, and a hood. A good early studded door with moulded cover strips and strap hinges survives. Above this is a three-light freestone Perpendicular window with cusped-headed lights under a two-centred arch with hood. Two-light belfry openings with cusped heads and slate louvers are visible higher up.

On the north aisle, the west window consists of one tall light with cusped heads in a rectangular hood. A blocked north door has a four-centred arch with heavy chamfer and segmental hood, with an almost round relieving arch above. Circa 17th-century tracery to the east features three segmental-headed lights in a four-centred arch within a partly blocked opening. Remains of a lower rood-loft stairs projection with reset 14th-century Decorated ogee cusped tracery of one light above survive in a rectangular opening originally serving the rood loft. The east windows of the north aisle and chancel are 19th-century with geometric tracery.

The south wall contains a three-light granite Perpendicular window in a rectangular surround with hood and a segmental relieving arch above. To its west is a three-light freestone window with tracery in a four-centred arch with pointed relieving arch. Further west of the porch is a reset single rectangular light with trefoil cusped head in a rectangular surround with incised spandrels. The gabled south porch has an almost round-headed arch with moulded jambs and rectangular surround with incised spandrels. The south door features a granite almost round-headed arch with heavy central roll-mould, bar, and divided spade stops.

The interior is cement rendered. A four-bay north arcade features Cornish type A piers (Pevsner classification) with moulded bases and carved capitals having castellated abaci, separated by four-centred moulded arches. The moulded tower arch is supported by groups of three engaged type A moulded piers. A moulded four-centred arch leads to the belfry stairs. The nave and chancel retain stained original waggon roofs with moulded ribs divided by three unmoulded ribs and carved bosses. The nave has a recarved arcade plate on moulded stone brackets and an original wall plate. The north aisle retains an original waggon roof with moulded longitudinal ribs. The porch roof is original with moulded ribs and a restored wall plate.

An 18th-century hexagonal timber pulpit on a granite base has fielded panels with inlaid moulded edges and incised corner pilasters. An octagonal granite font is present. A simple piscina in the south wall of the chancel, dating to circa the mid 14th century, has a cusped head with blind arch to its top. Remains of rood-loft stairs survive in the north aisle with a low almost round-headed arch to the entrance. Stocks are located in the tower. Slate flooring runs throughout.

Monuments include an engraved slatestone above the piscina in the chancel commemorating Matthew Brayford, Chirurgeon and son of Thomas Bayford, dated 1714, with a square panel and intertwined foliage around the edge. Another monument commemorates Thomas Brayford, rector of the parish, who died in 1678. On the north wall of the chancel is a 19th-century monument to Reverend William Royse, rector. Several well-engraved slate lids, probably from tombchests, are located in the tower. The south wall carries a slate monument with strapwork, including memorials to Francis, died 1736, and Philip and wife Isabella, circa 1682.