St Mary

fabric of tower difficult to date but both Cresswell and Pevsner suggest the C13

C15 south aisle

the fabric of the nave, chancel and aisle thoroughly rebuilt in 1848 but the nave and chancel are probably C13 in origin.

fishscale tiles to the roof, Roman tiles to the vestry.

Descriptions of the Church before the 1848 restoration indicate that the fabric of nave and chancel were C13 Early English and the tower may be co-eval.

South aisle added in the Perpendicular style in the C15.

The manor of Bickleigh belonged to the Carew family for a long period and there are a number of Carew monuments in the Church.

The chancel fabric appears to be wholly of 1848 with coped gable angle buttresses and a 3-light Decorated style east window with a hoodmould and carved label stops.

The nave has 3 C19 buttresses with set-offs and 4 C19 3-light Decorated style windows with hoodmoulds and carved label stops.

All the windows are 2-light 1848 Decorated style with hoodmoulds and carved label stops The battlemented 3-stage west tower (1 string course only) is battered and unbuttressed with a large projecting rectangular north stair turret with slit windows.

The 1848 porch has diagonal buttresses, a coped gable and a 2-centred deeply-moulded outer doorway with a hoodmould with carved label stops representing the Bishop of the Diocese and Queen Victoria.

The chamfered semi-circular inner doorway, the arch springing from chamfered imposts, may be C12 or an 1848 re-cutting or copy.

4-bay Beerstone south arcade, l-bay to the chancel with shallow-moulded 4-centred arches springing from piers with corner shafts and good varied carved capitals.

Very complete C19 sanctuary with tiling and an 1848 or later Bathstone reredos gabled in the centre with a blind trefoil-headed niche with painted diaper work and painted carvings of lilies to left and right.

C19 timber altar rail carved with quatrefoils.

C19 choir stalls with traceried ends incorporating some medieval ends.

C18 5-sided drum pulpit with simple panelling and a moulded cornice.

The nave benches are banked up at the west end and include a number of medieval ends with 2 tiers of tracery.

1 bench end includes a lively figure, possibly connected with the wool trade.

Octagonal tub font with a circular rim carved with pellets and crosses.

Numerous monuments: On the north and south walls of the sanctuary C19 niches with earlier chest tombs below.

The chest on the north side, commemorating John Carew, died 1588, has a Purbeck slab with armorial bearings on the wall above the chest.

The south chest commemorates the Reverend John West Carew, died 1826, with a brass on the lid and armorial bearings above.

High on the north wall of the sanctuary a wall monument with Corinthian columns and an inscription panel with a cartouche includes 2 freestanding figures which appear to have originated from a different monument

Above the vestry door a good memorial to Henry Baker, died 1849, in the form of a spherical triangle with blind tracery and brass inscriptions.

Gothic gabled monument in the south wall to Francis Carew, died 1848.

C17 ledger stone used as chancel floor slab.

The east end of the south aisle contains 2 grand Carew family monuments.

On the south wall a stiff figure of Elizabeth Eriseyes, nee Carew, died 1618, reclines on a chest below an arch flanked by Corinthian columns.

The monument is crowned by an achievement and putti with obelisks to left and right.

The chest is decorated with strapwork and a baby in a cradle is placed in front of the main figure on a shelf above the chest with 2 notably rustic putti seated on stools, dabbing their eyes with handkerchiefs

The architectural detail and ornament is of a higher quality than the figures.

Against the eat wall, and partly filling the east window of the aisle, a rather mutilated monument (which may have been moved) to Sir Henry Carew, died 1681 and Dorothy, his wife, died 1676.

He lies on a tomb chest with pairs of kneelers at his head and feet, his wife reclines on the window sill above him with an inscription panel behind her crowned by an achievement and figures.

The tomb chest is decorated with panels with pots of flowers carved in relief.

Wall monument on the south wall of the aisle to Peter Carew, died 1654 and his wife, died 1619.

Busts in relief in round-headed niches flanked by Tuscan columns with an inscription panel between, the monument crowned by an achievement.

First world war brass memorial on the north wall signed Wippell and Co.

Stained glass: includes the east window to Thomas Carew, died 1848 and his wife, died 1857, by William Wailes.

Several other windows are filled with C19 painted and stamped quarries which Cresswell suggests may have been copied from medieval originals.