Weight: 1092 lbs Diameter: 38.25" Bell 1 of 1
Founded by Thomas III Bilbie 1802
Dove Bell ID: 50977 Tower ID: 18321 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Bicton: St Mary
Overview
Grid reference: SY 73 857
This is a very fine church indeed, designed in its totality by John Hayward, a pioneer architect of the Ecclesiological Movement, in the Decorated Gothic style. It is a good early and complete example of a church which adheres to their principles. The Victorian church is cruciform in plan, with the tower rising from the north transept. It is predominantly of snecked grey limestone and larger ashlar blocks.
Visiting and facilities
Building is closed for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
Cruciform plan church. The nave is taller than the chancel and transepts. The north transept contains the Rolle Pew and the north porch alongside gave the family their own entrance. Tower over the end of the south transept which also includes the vestry. South porch towards west end of the nave.
Dimensions:
Nave 18m (60ft) long, 6m (19ft) wide, chancel 20m (34 ft) long.
Footprint of Church buildings: 369 m²
Description of Archaeology and History
Bechatona can be found in the Domesday Book, the manor is recorded as is a priest, so there may have been a church here or nearby. The manor was given by William I to William Portitor, in return for his holding the office of Gatekeeper of the Prison at Exeter Castle. The estate passed into the possession of the Rolle dynasty, probably from the late 16th century. The present Georgian house was constructed c1800 for 1st Lord Rolle by J Wyatt, and remodelled and enlarged in 1908-9 by Walter Tapper.
The estate was sold and the Bicton Farm Institute was founded in 1947, Devon County Council purchased the House and Estate in 1956. Since 1993 the House is an independent Agricultural College controlled by a Board of Governors. The landscaped gardens are a private visitor attraction which includes the church. However, the family still owns (or is responsible for) the Mausoleum and perhaps the rest of the old church ruin.
The “old” church of the Holy Trinity was built or rebuilt in the 13th century – Rectors are recorded from 1280 – of which building the tower, south wall and 15th-century south chapel, converted into a mausoleum for the Rolle family by A W N Pugin, remains. Pugin was given a free hand in designing the mausoleum and the result, though small, is very important being a complete conceived scheme. Part of the remains of the old church, with the exception of the Mausoleum but apparently including the standing south wall and the tower, is a Scheduled Monument. The rationale for this is rather unclear. It would appear that the Medieval cross base is not so designated, which is unusual.
The rest was demolished and a completely new church and lych-gate was erected in 1848-51 just to the east by Lady Rolle in memory of her husband John, the architect being John Hayward of Exeter, designer of the Royal Albert Memorial Museum and St Luke’s College in that city. This 'new' church is St Mary's.
Exterior Description
This is a very fine church indeed, designed in its totality by John Hayward, a pioneer architect of the Ecclesiological Movement, in the Decorated Gothic style. It is a good early and complete example of a church which adheres to their principles. In addition to this Augustus Welby Pugin was employed to 'create' the ruin out of the old church and to convert its south chapel into the Rolle family Mausoleum, and this combination of architects, the vision behind the complex, and its place in the designed landscape raises it beyond the individual buildings and features to a whole of exceptional architectural and art historical signficance.
The Victorian church is cruciform in plan, with the tower rising from the north transept. It is of three stages with angle buttresses terminating below the belfry. The parapet is open and contains cusped tracery over a moulded frieze containing a series of carved gargoyle heads. Large pointed 2-light belfry openings with tracery filled with a stone lattice of quatrefoil shapes. The stair turret projects a little from the south-west corner and its stone roof hips into the walls at belfry level. Its chamftered corner splays out to a square corner just above the upper string course. It has small quatrefoil lights and an external door on the west side, a segmental pointed arch with the string course carried over as a hood. It contains a plank door at floor level.
On the west side the lower stage contains 2 trefoil-headed lancets, one over the other. The south side has an oculus with tracery in the middle stage, a trefoil-headed lancet towards the top of the lower stage and, at the bottom, a 2-centred arch priests doorway with moulded surround and the string course carried over as a hood. On the east side of the tower the lower stage includes a segemental pointed arched 2-light window. There is a chamfered plinth round the church. A short distance above this is a moulded string course and there is another above that at sill level. Like the plinth these follow round the buttresses. All around the church are iron gutters with embossed fleur-de-lys on the sides and a crenellated top. All the gables have shaped kneelers, some enriched with carved heads, coping and fleuree finial crosses. The west end has angle buttresses.
A distinctive and almost unique feature of this church is the carving of royal heads on the labels and on the kneelers, which form a complete series of the monarchs of England in order from Edward I, beginning immediately right of the south porch. Some are very distinctive, such as Philip and Mary on the north transept. Queen Elizabeth is in the corner just above. Lord and Lady Rolle (and Oliver Cromwell) can be found in the north porch. The north windows of the nave have the Stuarts to William and Mary, the Georges on the west end, and the series is completed by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert on the south porch. This theme is carried into the interior with the Divines of the English Church, all by J Dudley of London.
The transept to right has a single lancet with tracery. There are lancets each end with cusped tracery and a large oculus towards the top. On the south side there is another lancet at the left end. Then the porch; it is gable ended with low diagonal buttresses and small trefoil-headed windows in the side walls. The outer arch is 2-centred with a moulded surround and half-engaged shafts with moulded caps and bases. Above the arch is a sunken trefoil panel containing the date 1850. To the left are two 3-light windows with Decorated tracery separated by a buttress and, at the right end, another lancet with cusped tracery.
Building Fabric and Features
Nave
19th century The nave is taller than the chancel and the transepts.
Chancel
19th century
Transept
19th century North and south transepts, the north transept contains the Rolle Pew
Porch
19th century North porch gave the family their own entrance, and south porch for others towards west end of the nave.
Tower (component)
19th century tower over the end of the south transept
Vestry
19th century
Building Materials
Limestone
19th century The church is of snecked grey limestone
Ashlar
19th century The church also has larger ashlar blocks with faint rustication on the quoins and buttresses.
Ashlar
19th century Hamstone ashlar detail
Caen Stone
19th century Interior Caen stone detail
Tile
19th century roof of scallop-shaped red tiles with fleur-de-lys crested ridge tiles
Interior
Interior Description
The interior preserves the 1851 scheme in its entirety and everything is of very high quality. The south porch as a stone flagged floor and a scissor-braced open roof. The south doorway is a pointed arch with a moulded surround, plank door with Gothic-style wrought iron strap hinges; the ironwork is of good quality throughout.
Entering the church properly, the nave has an open 8-bay roof of king-post trusses with moulded arch-braces springing from stone corbels carved as human heads, representing the Divines of the English Church. There is a moulded stone cornice along the wall top. The roof is backed by pine boards. The transepts and chancel have boarded vaults with moulded ribs and carved boss over the crossing. Here is the same moulded stone cornice and more carved stone corbles, the largest in the church in each corner of the crossing. The chancel arch is a moulded stone arch with clustered column responds, carved foliate caps and a hoodmould with carved angels on the labels. The windows have chamfered rere-arches.
The walls are plastered. The tiled floor includes patterns of Minton tiles, the floor of the crossing is bordered with these and features a panel of the Royal Arms and the initials VR repeated around. A marble step up to the sanctuary has tiles featuring the Rolle Arms and insignia and the sanctuary floor itself is rich with Minton tiles featuring symbols of the Evangelists amongst others. The furniture is of oak and Gothic style, good quality. The benches in the nave are plainer than the others with blind tracery on the ends and moulded tops. The Rolle pew in the north transept and stalls in the south transept have blind arcades to the frontals and carved tracery and poppyhead finials on the bench ends. There are relocated slabs to the Rev Glubb (d 1797) and his family in the chancel.
Fixtures and fittings
Altar
19th century Oak chest, the front has a blind arcade with carved spandrels.
Reredos
19th century Brocade flanked by Commandment Boards.
Pulpit
19th century Oak pulpit, hexagonal with buttresses and panels matching the communion rails.
Lectern
20th century The oak eagle lectern is dated 1907 in memory of Mark Rolle.
Font (component)
19th century The font is very ornate, of Caen stone carved by Simon Rowe of Exeter. It is octagonal and Perpendicular Gothic in style. The sides have cusped arches springing from the heads of praying angels and with crocketted pinnacles on the corners and carved foliage in the spandrels. The stem is plain under a band of foliage. The stepped base includes a painted Biblical quotation.
Stained Glass (window)
19th century The east window shows the Virgin Mary and the Apostles in memory of Lord Rolle, 1850. Several other windows, a scheme of high quality, by William Warrington. There are small medallions depicting scenes from the Life of Christ in the nave windows.
Tomb (component)
19th century Against the south wall is the Baroque monument of Denys Rolle (died 1638). Of black, grey and white marble, it comprises a shaped tomb chest on a moulded base and black plinth. The massive lid above, made of layers of black and white marble and moulded along the edges, sits clear of the chest below. It is supported on the front corners by free standing Ionic columns and along the front there are 3 Ionic caps between the chest top and lid. On the lid are the expertly-carved full-size figures of Denys Rolle and his wife in white marble framed by a round headed alcove. She lies recumbent on a pillow with one hand pointing to a book which lies open in her other hand. He is dressed in armour and reclines on one arm, his other arm fingering the hilt of his sword. Below the chest a carved baby lies on the plinth. The quality of the carving and particularly the detail such as Denys’ hair and lace ruff has led to speculation that it is the work of Nicholas Stone; if so it is his only work in Devon. An epitaph is painted on the back of the alcove and the arch is surmounted by a heraldic achievement flanked by smaller arms in cartouches.
Tomb (component)
19th century Against the north wall is Pugin’s own elaborate monument to John Rolle, Bart (died 1842). It comprises a rectangular Beerstone tomb chest, its sides panelled with deep and ornate quatrefoil decoration and including the initials J.R. Its black marble lid is inlaid with a foliated brass cross. The wall behind has a large 2-centred arch with moulded surround filled with blind Perpendicular tracery. The panels are filled with Gothic carving; shields with heraldic achievements, supporters and angels, all set amongst deeply undercut foliage. A brass plaque set in the floor in front of the tomb records the erection of the mausoleum by Louisa, Lady Rolle, in memory of her husband.
Bells
Portable Furnishings and Artworks
Registers of marriages 1754-1837, Burials 1725-1845, held at Devon Record Office
Churchyard
Grid reference: SY 73 857
Burial and War Grave Information
The church/building is consecrated.
The churchyard has been used for burial.
The churchyard is used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has war graves.
National Heritage record for England designations
Environment
Ancient, Veteran & Notable Trees
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
There are no records of Ancient, Veteran or Notable Trees within the curtilage of this site.
Renewables
| Renewable | Installed |
|---|---|
| Solar PV Panels | No |
| Solar Thermal Panels | No |
| Biomass | No |
| Wind Turbine | No |
| Air Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ground Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ev Charging | No |
Species summary
There are no records of species within the curtilage of this site.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
'Seek advice' Species
More information on species and action to be taken upon discovery.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
Further information
Quinquennial Inspections
Submit a change
If you notice something incorrect or missing, please explain it in the form below and submit it to our team for review.