St Mary's Church of Berry Pomeroy is an

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the 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 community activities, ...

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 Gab ...

, 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, or ...

which has been described as one of the most perfect in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

. 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 actio ...

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-c ...

. 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 and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...

in one, on the northern and southern range

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

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 a ...

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'' (1 ...

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 that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...

and cresting. The

wainscoting Panelling (or paneling in the U.S.) 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 to make roo ...

has painted figures. The

stained-glass window Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

s include a few reset old fragments, but are most notable for the panels by

Christopher Whall Christopher Whitworth Whall (1849 – 23 December 1924) was a British stained-glass artist who worked from the 1880s and on into the 20th century. He is widely recognised as a leader in the Arts and Crafts Movement and a key figure in t ...

, 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 ( grc-gre, τύμβος ''tumbos'') is a :wikt:repository, 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 ...

'', 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, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

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 (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 (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

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 or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

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'' is a novel by Jane Austen, published in 1811. It was published anonymously; ''By A Lady'' appears on the title page where the author's name might have been. It tells the story of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor (age 19) a ...

Ang Lee Ang Lee (; born October 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker. Born in Pingtung County of southern Taiwan, Lee was educated in Taiwan and later in the United States. During his filmmaking career, he has received international critical and popula ...

, featuring

Kate Winslet Kate Elizabeth Winslet (; born 5 October 1975) is an English actress. Known for her work in independent films, particularly period dramas, and for her portrayals of headstrong and complicated women, she has received numerous accolades, incl ...

Hugh Grant Hugh John Mungo Grant (born 9 September 1960) is an English actor. He established himself early in his career as both a charming, and vulnerable romantic lead and has since transitioned into a dramatic character actor. Among his numerous a ...

and

Emma Thompson Dame Emma Thompson (born 15 April 1959) is a British actress. Regarded as one of the best actresses of her generation, she has received numerous accolades throughout her four-decade-long career, including two Academy Awards, two British A ...

References