Honeychurch Church of St Mary Basics
Listed building grade 1
Regularly open
Address
Church of St Mary
Honeychurch
North Tawton
EX20 2AE
Geographical coordinates
50°48’31.1″N 3°56’49.4″W (enter these in your smartphone navigator)
Devonchurchland says…
Honeychurch is a gorgeous gem, the spiritual heart of Devon and humble with it, remote and timeless with magic within and without. It really is a find.
The nave and chancel are Norman, the tower and porch 15th century, the whole probably replacing an earlier Saxon church built by the local estate lord, Huna… thus the name Honeychurch.
The stonework is strong and rustic, the interior an entrancing mix of simple, silvering oak and off-white old plaster, with granite peeking through just right.
The medieval bench ends are matched by the 18th century box pews, all raggedy and wriggly and all marvellous. The roof bosses are also 15th century, almost Cubist in their foliage design.
There are three coats of arms, one a fading wall painting of Queen Elizabeth I, the others a couple of Georges painted on board.
The Norman font is a definite keeper, with a later font cover, and the 17th century pulpit joins the game holding its head up high; it is a good one.
Always though we come back to the whole, the sense of history, of time, of slow, awesome beauty and the deep care of the parish folk who so love this jewel and have cared for it over so many centuries.
Outline
PLAN
- Nave
- Chancel
- West tower
- South porch
AGE
- C12 fabric
- C15 additions
BUILT FROM
- Stone rubble walls
- Roughly coursed to tower
- Of which the top stage is roughcast
- Gabled slate roof
Exterior
WEST TOWER
- 2 stage crenellated
- Set-back buttresses
- Extending almost up to the top
- Granite west doorway
- 4-centred arched head
- Triple hollow moulding.
- West window of debased Perpendicular style
- 3 lights with segmental heads
- One and 2-light belfry openings with pointed heads
- Shallow rectangular stair projection on north side of tower
NAVE
- North side
- C15 3-light granite mullion window
- 4-centred heads and square hoodmould
- C19 buttress between nave and chancel
- C15 3-light granite mullion window
- South side
- C15 3-light granite and limestone mullion window
- cinquefoil heads and square hoodmoulds
- Similar 2-light window of red sandstone
- West of porch
- C15 3-light granite and limestone mullion window
CHANCEL
- C20 granite east window of 3-lights
- South side has 4-centred arched granite priest’s door
- Above it is possibly original lancet window
- With 4-centred head
SOUTH PORCH
- 1 storey gabled
- Replaced segmental headed wooden lintel to plain doorway
- Which has C19 wrought iron gate
- Fleur de lys finial
- Reeded iron post to either side
Interior
VARIOUS
- Pointed 4-centred granite south doorway
- Double hollow chamfer
- Early studded plank door
- On north wall of nave is a small recess
- Rounded head
- Chamfered granite surround
- Small piscina on south wall of nave
- Either side of south doorway is a C12 carved granite corbel
- In the form of a human mask
- The tub font is C12
- Cable and chevron carving.
- It has an early C17 cupola shaped font cover
- Good circa early Cl7 panelled wooden pulpit
- Decorative floral carving to the top panels
- Geometric design carved on the underside of the integral lecturn
- Simple late C17 or early C18 altar rails
- Turned balusters
- And a gate with inverted segmental top
- C15 wagon roof
- Ribs and wall-plates have 4-petal flower carving
- Also carved
- bosses
- Porch roof totally renewed
- The internal walls retain their old plaster
- On the north wall are extensive remains of mural painting
- Depicting the coat of arms of Elizabeth I
- With now illegible inscription below in Gothic script
- One late C18 marble wall memorial
- To members of the Dunning family
ARCHES
- Chancel arch is of granite
- Moulded with 4-centred head
- Moulded imposts
- Tower arch has chamfered stone jambs
- Recessed chamfered 4-centred arch
- Windows have chamfered rear arches
BENCHES
- Medieval benches survive on the north side of the aisle
- And to the west of the doorway
- Very simple and crude construction
- Although the 3 nearest the chancel have carved ends
- With trefoil-headed panels
- To the east of the doorway are C18 box pews
Other information
Originally served the parish of Honeychurch, now part of Sampford Courtenay parish.
The C12 church comprised the present small nave and chancel. In the C15 they were re-roofed, the west tower was added and in the late C15 or early C16 the seating inserted and the south porch built.
This is a remarkable survival of a small medieval church which has virtually escaped C19 and C20 restoration and whose interior in particular has almost been untouched since the C17 retaining a unique charm
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