Church Of St Mary The Virgin

Church of St Mary the Virgin

This is a parish church in Throwleigh, largely rebuilt in the 15th century, possibly by Thomas Courtenay who was patron of the benefice in 1453. A small part of the building may date to the late 13th or early 14th century. The north aisle was added in the 16th century, and the church was renovated around 1945 by Herbert Read.

The oldest section, at the west end of the south wall of the nave, is constructed of granite stone rubble. The rest of the building is of large coursed blocks of granite ashlar with granite ashlar detail, most of which is original, beneath a slate roof.

The plan consists of a nave with a lower and narrower chancel. A 15th-century south porch with a contemporary rood stair turret stands at the break between the nave and chancel on the south side. A 15th-century west tower with an internal stair turret completes the main elements. The 16th-century north aisle overlaps the chancel but is not full length.

The tall west tower rises in three stages with an embattled parapet, set-back buttresses and corner pinnacles. The belfry has 2-light windows. The west side features a 4-centred arch doorway and above it a 3-light window with Perpendicular tracery. On the south side of the nave at the west end is a small twin lancet window with pointed heads, sunken spandrels and a shallow hoodmould. The gabled porch has set-back buttresses and a 2-centred outer arch with a moulded surround and carved spandrels; the right spandrel is incised with the initials TC. A brass sundial dated 1663, installed here in 1913, is mounted above the porch. To the right of the porch is a tall late 16th- to early 17th-century 3-light mullioned window. The semi-octagonal rood turret displays a carved foliate cornice and the remains of an embattled parapet. The chancel has set-back buttresses and a gable apex cross. Original 15th-century windows have Perpendicular tracery and hoodmoulds; the east window has carved labels, but one south window has been replaced by a late 16th- to early 17th-century mullioned window. The south side of the chancel features an unusually ornate priests' doorway with a small, narrow 2-centred arch and moulded surround, though the frame breaks forward from the wall and is decorated with stylized carved ferns and deeply cut foliate spandrels. The 16th-century north aisle has set-back buttresses and four north-facing windows separated by buttresses, each of 3 lights with segmental heads and hoodmoulds; the outer lights have pointed heads. A further window in the east end is similarly detailed.

Interior

The south door is a 2-centred arch retooled in the 19th century, fitted with an ancient studded plank door with coverstrips and an oak lock. The porch and nave contain restored but essentially original 15th-century ceiled wagon roofs with moulded purlins and ribs and carved oak bosses. The north aisle has a similar wagon roof of 16th-century date; most of its bosses are replacements. The chancel has a more ornate version with carved ribs and purlins. The crestwork between nave and chancel is 19th-century. The tower arch is tall and plain, of 2-centred form. A 4-bay granite arcade, with one bay overlapping the chancel, has moulded piers (Pevsner's Type A) with plain capitals and low moulded arches. The walls are mostly plastered. The east window has a moulded inner arch on vaulting shafts. The floor is mostly 20th-century slate and parquet, though the chancel floor includes a good group of 17th- and early 18th-century graveslabs; others have been reset in the tower. There are also a couple of probably 17th-century glazed tiles. The rood stair has a flat-topped doorway with a moulded surround.

The Easter Sepulchre in the chancel is unique. At its base is a niche beneath a depressed arch carved with coarse scroll enrichment between panelled buttresses, with evidence suggesting a carved board originally stood above. The sanctuary is the result of 20th-century modernization. A low oak chancel screen of 20th-century date is based on a wainscotted section of the original, dated 1544, and incorporates small sections of the original structure. The rood beam is 20th-century with carved figures. Stalls, lectern and benches are 20th-century timber; one bench may be 16th-century, and other bench ends incorporate earlier worked pieces. An oak drum pulpit is made up of carved pieces of 16th-century craftsmanship. The font is a plain 15th-century granite octagonal bowl with a moulded stem and plinth, fitted with a 19th- or 20th-century oak cover. The tower screen and other furniture are 20th-century except for a 17th-century oak chest. The church contains no memorials. The east window has stained glass by Comper, and the east window of the nave is by Bell of Bristol.

This is a fine moorland church notable for unusually good 15th- and 16th-century detail.