St Mary's Church of Berry Pomeroy is an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

Berry Pomeroy Berry Pomeroy is a village and civil parish in the South Hams district of Devon, England, east of the town of Totnes. The parish is surrounded clockwise from the north by the parishes of Ipplepen, Marldon, Torbay (unitary authority), Stoke G ...

, with a full length, forty-two foot wide,

rood screen The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, o ...

which has been described as one of the most perfect in

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

. It is listed on the

Heritage at Risk Register An annual ''Heritage at Risk Register'' is published by Historic England. The survey is used by national and local government, a wide range of individuals and heritage groups to establish the extent of risk and to help assess priorities for acti ...

The Building

The church was rebuilt by Richard de Pomeroy in the late 15th century at the site of a pre-existing church. The architecture is in the

perpendicular style Perpendicular Gothic (also Perpendicular, Rectilinear, or Third Pointed) architecture was the third and final style of English Gothic architecture developed in the Kingdom of England during the Late Middle Ages, typified by large windows, four-ce ...

. The church comprises a

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

and

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

in one, on the northern and southern range

aisle An aisle is a linear space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, in buildings such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parliaments, courtrooms, ...

s and a porch with

parvise A parvis or parvise is the open space in front of and around a cathedral or church, especially when surrounded by either colonnades or porticoes, as at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. It is thus a church-specific type of forecourt, front yard or ...

and groined roof with bosses - as described by John Stabb: ''"bearing the arms of the Pomeroy family"''. The tower contains four bells, which are dated from the years 1607, 1635, 1750, and 1829. The church was restored in the late 17th century and in 1878-79.

Interior

It has a forty-two feet long rood screenStabb, John ''Some Old Devon Churches: their rood screens, pulpits, fonts, etc.''. 3 vols. London: Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent, 1908, 1911, 1916, p. 15 described by

Nikolaus Pevsner Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (195 ...

as "one of the most perfect in Devon" It is unusual in being complete from the north to south walls and also in retaining its original coving,

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative Moulding (decorative), moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, ar ...

and cresting. The

wainscoting Panelling (or paneling in the United States) is a millwork wall covering constructed from rigid or semi-rigid components. These are traditionally interlocking wood, but could be plastic or other materials. Panelling was developed in antiquity t ...

has painted figures. The

stained-glass window Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

s include a few reset old fragments, but are most notable for the panels by Christopher Whall, created in 1897 and 1908, and by his daughter, Veronica Whall, who installed one in 1926. There are two notable monuments in the church. The older one on the north of the chancel originates from the end of the 15th century and it is described by Stabb as a ''

tomb A tomb ( ''tumbos'') or sepulchre () is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called '' immurement'', alth ...

'', which is synonymously described by

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...

as a ''tomb chest'' - sarcophagi with quatrefoils and weepers in niches. This monument is dedicated to Sir Richard Pomeroy (died 1496) and his wife. This tomb had been robbed of all ornamentation before the 18th century, as the vicar John Prince reported in his book "''Worthies of Devon''". A monument to Lord Edward Seymour stands against the north wall of the north aisle of the Seymour Chapel. It was described by the architectural historian

(1952) as: "The figure carving astonishingly naïve. To think that the children of Lord Protector Somerset were satisfied with this!"

W. G. Hoskins William George Hoskins (22 May 1908 – 11 January 1992) was an English local historian who founded the first university department of English Local History. His great contribution to the study of history was in the field of landscape history. ...

(1959) on the contrary called it fine".Hoskins, W.G., A New Survey of England: Devon, London, 1959, p.333 Writing in 1909, John Stabb described the monument thus: ''In the north wall of the chapel at the east end of the north aisle is a fine monument .. erected to the memory of Lord Edward Seymour, the son of the Protector, who died in 1593, and of his son, Sir Edward Seymour, and his daughter-in-law, Elizabeth, daughter of Arthur Champernowne. The arch is ornamented with roses and pomegranates; beneath the arch lie the knights, clothed in plate armour, one above the other; below lies the lady, behind her head a cradle with a child in it, and at her feet a figure in a chair. On the panel beneath are the kneeling figures of the nine children, five male and four female.'' A tablet in the chancel remembers the vicar John Prince, who was the author of the book ''"Worthies of Devon"''. In the southern porch are the arms of the Pomeroy family. A carved effigy of St George with folding doors has been dedicated to fallen soldiers of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

by the Vicar of Totnes, Rev W. T. Wellacott in April 1920. A display as a remembrance of the events during the Second World War—as American soldiers prepared for D-Day—is inside the church.

Vicars of St Mary's

A continuous succession line of the Vicars of St Mary's Church, Berry Pomeroy is reported for a time of over 200 years: * John Prince (1681–1723) * Joseph Fox (1723–1789) * John Edwards (1789–1834) * Edward Brown (1834–1843) * William Burrough Cosens (1843–1861) * Arthur J. Everett (1861–1896) * Henry Stewart Prinsep (1896–1908), nephew of Susan St Maur, Duchess of Somerset In recent times there is no vicar at St. Mary's and the services are held by reverends from out of the village. The maintenance of the church is organized by the ''Friends of Berry Pomeroy Church''.''The Friends of Berry Pomeroy''
Glyn Watkin, The Honorary Secretary, ''About us''

Recent Status

Since 1961 it is a

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

building, and is on the

. The condition is described as ''poor'', suffering from 'slow decay—no solution agreed'.''Historic England, Church of St Mary, Berry Pomeroy - South Hams''
/ref> An association, called the ''Friends of Berry Pomeroy Church'', maintains the building. Over £250,000 had been invested, mainly from donations. Further works are planned, as the tower and the roof on the south side could be repaired, and the bells could be renewed.

Cinema

The church and the church yard were the film location for the making the final scene of

Sense and Sensibility ''Sense and Sensibility'' ( working title; ''Elinor and Marianne'') is the first novel by the English author Jane Austen, published in 1811. It was published anonymously: ''By A Lady'' appears on the title page where the author's name might h ...

Ang Lee Ang Lee (; born October 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker. His films are known for their emotional charge and exploration of repressed, hidden emotions. During his career, he has received international critical and popular acclaim and List o ...

, featuring

Kate Winslet Kate Elizabeth Winslet (; born 5 October 1975) is an English actress. Primarily known for her roles as headstrong and complicated women in independent films, particularly period dramas, she has received numerous accolades, including an Ac ...

Hugh Grant Hugh John Mungo Grant (born 9 September 1960) is an English actor. He established himself early in his career as a charming and vulnerable romantic leading man, and has since transitioned into a character actor. He has received List of awards ...

and

Emma Thompson Dame Emma Thompson (born 15 April 1959) is a British actress and screenwriter. Emma Thompson on screen and stage, Her work spans over four decades of screen and stage, and List of awards and nominations received by Emma Thompson, her accola ...

References