Bishops Nympton, Devon
Church of St Mary, Bishop's Nympton Devon 
The present building dates from the 15c  with the south aisle &quot;completed&quot; in 1621.   
The tall, 15c four stage tower with set back buttresses,  is a local landmark and is  &quot;one of the stateliest of north Devon&quot; according to Pevsner
It consists of a chancel, nave, 6-bay south aisle (one bay to the chancel), west tower, south- west porch, north-east vestry and organ chamber. 

The Norman 12c font survives from the earlier church it replaced.  <a href="https://devonchurchland.co.uk/galleries/bishops-nympton-church-of-st-mary-gallery/#gallery/31e7337259ea481cea537ef8dae7703b/1227" rel="noreferrer nofollow">devonchurchland.co.uk/galleries/bishops-nympton-church-of...</a>
A late Perpendicular chest and recess in the north wall of the chancel, probably used as an Easter Sepulchre, was possibly the tomb of John Basset of Whitechapel who died in 1485 (Cresswell) although earlier scholars have assigned it to  Sir Lewis Pollard 1526, Justice of Common Pleas of Grilstone in the parish of Bishops Nympton .   <a href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/6w2Hw171VF">www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/6w2Hw171VF</a>
Extensive renovations took place in the 19c.  The chancel restoration of 1868 was by Edward Ashworth of Exeter, at a cost of £1,500 with further restoration of 1877 this time costing  £1,090;   The tower was restored in 1893 &amp; the organ chamber in 1895 
The gabled porch has late 15c / early 16c mouldings of the outer doorframe matching those of the arcade and tower arch.  Entrance is through a  pair of 19c timber gates 
The east face of the tower has a large clock of 1897 which celebrates the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria , 

Inside are unplastered walls; The nave roof is a ceiled wagon, the wall plate 19c but the ribs and flat carved bosses probably early 16c   The aisle roof, also a ceiled wagon, has a 19c wall plate and more sculptural medieval bosses at the east end, including a shield-bearing angel. <a href="https://devonchurchland.co.uk/galleries/bishops-nympton-church-of-st-mary-gallery/#gallery/31e7337259ea481cea537ef8dae7703b/1240" rel="noreferrer nofollow">devonchurchland.co.uk/galleries/bishops-nympton-church-of...</a> The other bosses in the aisle are late 19c replacements. The chancel roof is an extremely rare example in a Devon church of a medieval arch braced roof, rather than the common wagon.  Choir stalls, probably of 1869, with poppyheads and traceried frontals. The late 19c Gothic panelling in the sanctuary has been moved to the east end of the south aisle.   Nave benches probably late 1860s with square-headed traceried ends.  <a href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/20g26B2FTj">www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/20g26B2FTj</a>  19c painted slate commandment boards have been resited on the west wall of the nave. 
Late 18c  19c benefaction boards are fixed to the tower walls, 
A medieval timber statue of St James, thought to be of Spanish origin,   formerly on the east face of the tower, has been re-sited above the vestry door. <a href="https://devonchurchland.co.uk/galleries/bishops-nympton-church-of-st-mary-gallery/#gallery/31e7337259ea481cea537ef8dae7703b/1257" rel="noreferrer nofollow">devonchurchland.co.uk/galleries/bishops-nympton-church-of...</a>
The Caen stone pulpit has a memorial date of 1888 <a href="https://devonchurchland.co.uk/galleries/bishops-nympton-church-of-st-mary-gallery/#gallery/31e7337259ea481cea537ef8dae7703b/1239" rel="noreferrer nofollow">devonchurchland.co.uk/galleries/bishops-nympton-church-of...</a>


There is a white marble Egyptian tablet in the chancel to Mary Jones, died 1838, signed Gould, Barum;  
A Gothic gabled monument to the Toms family (memorial dates 1800-1906) in the nave;  a late C19 Gothic monument to the Balman family (memorial dates 1818-1895), also in the nave, and a white marble Gothic wall monument to John Sanger of Whitechapel, died 1834, <a href="https://devonchurchland.co.uk/galleries/bishops-nympton-church-of-st-mary-gallery/#gallery/31e7337259ea481cea537ef8dae7703b/1235" rel="noreferrer nofollow">devonchurchland.co.uk/galleries/bishops-nympton-church-of...</a> in the south aisle. 
In the tower there is slate wall memorial commemorating the death &amp; bequest of John Blackmore of Cross 1733 with fruit, flowers and the figures of Time holding a scythe &amp; death, a skeleton holding an arrow.  <a href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/zB8b91Xq56">www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/zB8b91Xq56</a>

Picture with thanks - copyright Humphrey Bolton CCL <a href="https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1801163" rel="noreferrer nofollow">www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1801163</a>
bishops nympton bishopsnympton church devon