Parish of St. Mary's Totnes

This beautiful old church is laid upon ground which has borne witness to Christian worship for more than a 1000 years. The present building was constructed from red Devonian stone in the early Perpendicular Style with a tower at the west end. Its date remained a mystery till the 19th century when lightning struck the south-east pinnacle revealing a small room with two chests containing the ancient records of the church. St. Mary's was rebuilt in 1259 but the structure here today dates mostly to 1432 when the church was rebuilt in the midst of the town's heyday as a port. The revamp was the brainchild of the Bishop of Exeter, Edmund Lacey (1420-1455). As you walk through the main door, you'll see his coat of arms amidst the fine ironwork and carving of the front door. One unusual feature of this wonderful, little church is the altar screen which dates from the 15th century. Traditionally these rood screens were carved from wood but here we see ornately worked stone with miniature window-tracery in the upper part of the screen. On your visit, you'll also be able to see the side chapel dedicated to St. George unusually decorated with scallop shells. The pride and joy of St. Mary's, Totnes has to be the 1861 Willis organ which was restored in 1986 to return its voicing to its original stat

Location
Address: Parish & Priory of St. Mary's, High Street
Town/city or near: Totnes
County: Devon

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