High Bickington Church of Saint Mary Basics
Listed building grade 1
Regularly open
Address
Church of Saint Mary
High Bickington
EX37 9AX
Geographical coordinates
50°58’01.3″N 3°59’46.7″W (enter these in your smartphone navigator)
Devonchurchland says…
There are a couple of real standouts around High Bickington Church, one of them making it a real must see for fans of Devon medieval carving… and to be fair if you hang around this website then that likely enough includes you.
But first the outside; this is a two tower church, a rarity indeed, with one of them, the southern one, being a somewhat shortened Norman beauty. The west tower is 15th century along with a lot of the rest of the church.
The south door is also Norman, somewhat battered but still proclaiming the age of this church.
The interior is very spacious, very. With some charming roof bosses of a few interesting varieties.
The absolute standout of the interior are the medieval bench ends, over 70 of them ranging from the early 15th to the 16th century, and they are fabulous. Earlier Instruments of the Passion, apostles and simpler Gothicry coexist with entrancing Renaissance patterns, faces and foliate heads.
Truly it is not the amount of carving, which is stupendous, but the sheer quality of every piece, which is awesome. There are even some early 20th century choir stall carvings with animals of the world which carry on the tradition.
A Norman font, some lovely Victorian stained glass, the general ambience, all these are the icing on an already fantabulous cake.
Outline
PLAN
-
- Nave
- Transeptal south tower
- Chancel
- South porch
- 4-bay north aisle
- 2-bay north aisle chapel
- West tower
AGE
- C12 nave and south tower
- C14 chancel
- Nave altered and south tower truncated in the C15
- North aisle, south porch and west tower added in the C15
- Chancel probably altered in the early C16
- Restored in 1876-91 at a cost of £900
BUILT FROM
- Coursed sandstone rubble with ashlar
- South tower and south wall of nave and chancel cement rendered
- Mostly limestone but some granite dressings
- Gable-ended Welsh-slate roofs
- Separately over nave and aisle
- West tower of dressed sandstone
- Ashlar dressings
Exterior
WEST TOWER
- Three-stage
- Hollow-chamfered plinth
- Diagonal buttress with offsets
- Offset string courses
- Parapet string
- Battlemented parapet
- Moulded coping
- Square corner piers with crocketed pinnacles
- Louvred square-headed belfry openings
- 2 cinquefoil-headed lights
- Panelled spandrels
- Returned hoodmoulds
- One-light trefoil-headed second-stage window
- To east
- Has returned cinquefoil-headed lights with panelled tracery
- Moulded reveals
- Returned hoodmould
- With dressed-stone relieving arch
- C15 west doorway
- Continuously moulded archway
- Left-hand reveal rebuilt in the late C20
- Pair of C20 plank doors
- Small rectangular windows lighting newel stair
- North-west corner of tower
In angle of buttress - Clock below belfry opening to east
SOUTH TOWER
- C12
- Truncated
- Present vestry
- C14 (or C17) hollow-chamfered 2-light south window
- Curved Y-tracery
- Returned hoodmould
- East front has two C12 chamfered round-arched lancets
- Smaller one in the apex of the gable above
- Probably formerly lighting the second stage
NAVE
- A pair of restored C15 south windows
- Each of 3 stepped cinquefoil-headed lights
- Moulded reveals
- Raking buttress at left-hand end of nave wall
- C12 round-arched doorway between south windows
- Chamfered jambs
- Chamfered impost blocks
- One order of shafts
- Carved foliate capitals and imposts breaking forward above
- Round arch
- With beakhead, chevron and dogtooth ornament (including hoodmould)
- Rendered tympanum
- With painted trefoil
- Late C19 door with 4 chamfered panels
- C12 carved corbel head to left of arch
- Probably formerly a hoodmould stop
- See space for former stop to right too
- Evidence of ancient colour on south doorway
CHANCEL
- Parapeted gable end
- C19 coping
- Cross at apex.
- South side a probably C16 square-headed window to the right
- 2 cinquefoil-headed lights
- Panelled spandrels
- Returned hoodmould
- Carved head stops
- A C19 (or restored) square-headed window to the left
- 3 cinquefoil-headed lights
- Panelled spandrels
- Hoodmould
- Carved head stops
- Granite C15 east window (C20 limestone mullions)
- 3 cinquefoil-headed lights with panelled tracery
- Chamfered reveals
- Returned hoodmould
NORTH AISLE
- 4-bay
- Restored C15 windows
- 3 cinquefoil-headed lights
- Panelled tracery
- Hollow-chamfered reveals
- Returned hoodmoulds
- Blocked C12 north doorway
- Between second and third windows from west (opposite south door)
- With chamfered imposts
- Chamfered round arch
- Inscribed lines
- Solid tympanum
- Restored west window
- 3 cinquefoil-headed lights
- Hollow-chamfered reveals
- Returned hoodmould
- Dressed stone arch above
- Two-bay north aisle chapel has restored C15 north windows,
- Each of 3 cinquefoil-headed lights
- Moulded reveals
- Cusped panelled tracery
- Mullions running up into head
- C15 east window (restored) of 3 cinquefoil-headed lights
- Moulded reveals
- Panelled tracery
- Returned hoodmould
- Blocked former east doorway below
- Dressed-stone chamfered segmental-pointed arch
PORCH
- C15
- Pointed-arched entrance
- Pair of C19 or C20 plank doors
- Chamfered wooden jambs
- Note rings for the insertion of poles to keep out animals
- Interior a C15 barrel roof
- Chamfered ribs
- Carved bosses
- Chamfered wall plates with carved shields
- Rendered walls
- C19 encaustic-tile floor
- Small wooden fixed seat in corner
- 2 fragments of old carved stone below at time of survey – January 1988
- C12 pillar piscina in porch (at time of survey)
- Circular pillar
- Cushion capital and C19 base
- Central C14 continuously-chamfered arched south doorway
- Hoodmould
- C19 plank door
- Decorative strap hinges
- Later (possibly C15 or C16) small buttresses flanking doorway
Interior
VARIOUS
- C15 four-bay north aisle arcade
- Pevsner type-A piers
- Capitals only to the main shafts
- Diamond braces
- 4-centred moulded arches
- Nave south windows have splayed jambs
- Ovolo-moulded rear arches dying into jambs
- Said to be the remains of an old spiral staircase
- In the truncated south tower
- Not noted at the time of survey (January 1988)
- C14 two-bay north chapel arcade
- Octagonal piers
- Moulded capitals
- Hollow-chamfered arches
- Old oak parish chest
- Probably C13 or C14
- 3 locks
- Later iron parish chest
- Superscribed lettering
- “HIGH BICKINGTON/W.P. STAWELL RECTOR/AD 1813
- C15 double-chamfered tower arch dying into jambs
- C15 west window
- Ovolo-moulded hoodmould
- C15 waggon roof to nave
- Chamfered ribs
- Carved bosses
- Wall plate with carved shields
- Supported on 4 stone corbels above vestry archway
- C15 waggon roof to north aisle
- Moulded ribs
- Carved bosses
- Chamfered wall plate with brattishing
- Rendered walls
- C19 encaustic tiles to chancel and north aisle
- Late C19 octagonal wooden pulpit
- Removed from Exeter in 1942
- Well carved panels and ribs
- Late C19 wooden eagle lectern
- Brass plate inscribed in memory of Harriet Bending
- d.19 December 1893
- Late C19 wooden screen to tower arch
- Large late C19 organ at east end of north aisle
- Bells: 4 cast in 1753, one recast in 1827 and 3 in 191
- Late C19 stained glass in east window and south-west window of chancel
CHANCEL
- Late C19 choir stalls
- Incorporating late-Medieval and C16 bench ends
- One at rear of north side said to be C13
- Frontals installed in 1905
- Carved with processions of animals
- In memory of Robert and Siddie Greenwood Penny
- Elaborate late C19 carved wooden reredos
- Incorporating reused old carved panels
- Possibly lower panels from former C15 or C16 screen
- Short sections of reused vine trails
- Early C17 Communion table
- Turned legs (front ones carved)
- Carved rails to front and sides
- C19 top
- Late C19 wrought-iron altar rails
- C14 triple sedilia
- Hollow-chamfered ogee trefoil-headed arches
- Broach stops
- Continuous chamfered stone seat
- C14 hollow-chamfered ogee cinquefoil-headed piscina
- Broach stops
- Projecting circular shelf with quatrefoil bowl
- East window with splayed jambs
- Chamfered rear arch dying into jambs
- South-east window with splayed jambs
- Chamfered Tudor-arched rear arch
- South-west window with splayed jambs
- C19 chamfered stone lintel
- C15 waggon roof to chancel
- Moulded ribs
- Carved bosses
- Moulded wall plates
BENCH ENDS
- Very fine series
- Bench ends and benches
- About 70
- Mainly C15 and C16
- Some C19
- Well-carved bench ends
- The late-Medieval benches with traceried patterns, heraldic devices and carved figures of saints etc.
- The C16 benches with Renaissance motifs
- Including foliage and profiles in medallions etc
- Benches with moulded (and carved) tops
- Heavy book rests and chamfered supports to the seats
- Remains of C18 box pew at west end of nave
- Carved panel on door
- With the inscription : “R P”
- And an heraldic device
- Pew now part of boxed-in angle between arcade and tower
- Also at east end of north aisle at time of survey is a well-carved bench end
- Possibly part of a former screen
- With 2 figures of saints or kings
- Two halves of probably C17 carved timber
- Possibly front of former gallery, demolished in 1860
- With carved dragons and shield to centre
- One half is reused as a bench end
- One half stands at the west end of the north aisle
SOUTH DOORWAY
- C12 round rear arch
- Remains of probable former C12 south window to right (west)
- With dressed stone jamb
- Voussoirs of right-hand side of former arch
FONT
- C12 stone font
- Square base
- Circular stem
- Rope-moulded base
- Bowl like a large block capital
- Semi-circular faces with inscribed wheels, rosettes and crosses
- Old lead lining and C20 wooden cover
- Late C17 wooden railed enclosure on 2 sides
- Possibly former Communion rails
- With turned balusters and turned newels with finials
VESTRY (FORMER SOUTH TOWER)
- Pointed archway
- Pointed-arched piscina in south wall
- Restored or C19 waggon roof
- Late C19 or early C20 wooden screen
- Former tower
- H. Read of Exeter
- Late C16 or C17 Communion table
- (Not inspected at time of survey)
MONUMENTS
- Tablet to Joshua Tucker (d. 1705) on north wall of chancel
- Stone and marble
- Central convex oval slate/marble inscribed panel
- Carved spandrels, flanking pilasters and scrolls with fruit/flower drops
- Gadrooned base with scrolled brackets below
- Flanking a pair of winged cherubs’ heads
- Moulded cornice with central painted shield above
- And much carved wheat, flowers, fruit etc.
- Small piece missing on top
- Possibly one of the fragments at the east end of the north aisle
Other information
C12 nave and C12 transeptal south tower, formerly with C12 chancel too (see jamb of former chancel arch). Chancel rebuilt (and possibly enlarged) in the C14.
Nave remodelled in the C15, and south porch, 4-bay north aisle and 2-bay north aisle chapel, and west tower added in the C15 (north aisle incorporating reused C12 nave north doorway). The south tower was probably truncated in the C15 when the west tower was added.
The C15 north aisle extends the length of the nave and chancel and probably replaced an earlier north-aisle chapel (see probably C14 two-bay north arcade to chancel).
Chancel probably altered in the early C16 (see south windows).
The evidence (remains of chancel arch, blocked south window to west of south doorway and former south tower) suggests that the C12 church was large and that the present nave incorporates much C12 fabric in the south wall.
A grant was made for a priest at High Bickington in the C10.
Evidence of former C12 church includes the right-hand jamb of the former chancel arch (in south wall between present nave and chancel) consisting of shaft with leaf capital and lower voussoirs of former round arch
Saint Mary’s Church is particularly notable for its large collection of C15 and C16 carved bench ends.
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