Church of St Mary the Virgin

St Mary’s Church stands in the quiet village of Throwleigh, Devon. Built in the late 13th and early 14th centuries, it is a Grade I listed parish church in the Diocese of Exeter. Most of the structure was rebuilt in the 15th century, with a north aisle added in the 16th. Nikolaus Pevsner recognised the church for its fine Easter Sepulchre. The pulpit comes from the rood screen of 1544, reused after the Reformation. The church’s history includes a major restoration in 1884. Architect F. Hunt of London oversaw the work, carried out by Aggatt and Underhill of Chagford. Walls were scraped and repointed, the tower arch reopened, and new nave seating installed. The organ at the back of the north aisle was built by Bevington of London and later extended by Hele and Co of Plymouth. Six bells hang in the tower: three from 1763 by Pennington and three from 1935 by Gillett & Johnston. Inside, visitors find a simple nave with restored seating and plain walls. The tower arch frames the view into the chancel. The wooden pulpit and Easter Sepulchre remain as historic features. The organ occupies its place at the north aisle’s rear. Outside, the church sits among cottages in a small Dartmoor village, its stonework weathered by centuries.