Churches of Exeter - St Michaels to Z

George's Meeting House
Holy Trinity Church
Riverside Christian Centre *
Sacred Heart Church
St Andrew's Church
St Anne's Chapel
St Catherine's Chapel
St David's Church
St Edmund's Church
St Leonard's Church
St Martin's Church
St Mary Arches Church
St Mary Major Church
St Mary Steps Church

St Michael's, Dinham Road

With its high position on Mount Dinham, St Michael's is a prominent landmark from most areas of north west Exeter. And so it should be as it possesses the highest spire at 70 m (230 ft) west of Salisbury. The philanthropist John Dinham who leant his name to the area, built almshouses for the poor and planned a school and chapel. After Dinham's death in 1864, William Gibbs took over the project and built a rather grander neo-gothic Anglo-Catholic church at a cost of £21,000. The vicar was left an endowment of £70 per annum which proved to be inadequate in future years.

St Michael's was designed by Rhode Hawkins and built between 1865 and 1868. The church was equipped with the latest gas lighting. In 1883 the chancel was decorated with wall paintings, roof decoration and some stained glass, along with a recumbent figure of William Gibbs. Further embellishments were added in 1899.

During the Second World War the church was used for many concerts as it was possible to achieved a complete blackout in the space. St Davids and St Michael's are now served by a single priest. In 2002, a pair of peregrine falcons nested in the tower, and a webcamera installed to view them.

St Michael's Church, Heavitree

Once upon a time, back in pre-Saxon times, the royal hunting ground of Wonford surrounded the settlement of Exeter. Gradually, during Saxon times parcels of land were given to various priories and Wonford was fragmented and grew smaller. St Michael's Church is the heart of Wonford - it became Heavitree as it was the founding of a church near 'Hefa's' or heafod treow (chief tree), which was corrupted into Heavitree. Heavitree grew in importance because the main London Road (now Heavitree Road) ran through the village, and Wonford became smaller and its influence diminished.

The present church dates from the 12th century, was altered in the 14th and 15th centuries and then the church tower was rebuilt in 1541. The same year, it is said that the Heafod treow was felled.

Most of St Michael's Church is Victorian - the nave was rebuilt between 1844 and 1846 by David Mackintosh, of limestone, while retaining the Beer stone arcade and windows. The limestone, Gothic tower was completed in 1887, in time for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. There is not a trace of red Heavitree sandstone in the building.

St Michael's and All Angels, Pinhoe

The most rural of the churches in Exeter, this attractive little church is set in a neat church yard with a lovely 17th-century, thatched lychgate and a nice view of Exeter. In 1001, when the village was raided and burnt to the ground by a band of Vikings, the vicar rode to Exeter by donkey for more arrows for the defenders, to no avail.

The present church is 15th century and constructed largely of Heavitree stone. There is a typical Devon wagon roof of the type that can be seen in St Martin's, Cathedral Close and Tuckers Hall. Inside, there are memorials to Bishop Cotton and the Bampfylde family.

St Olave's Church, Fore Street

This little church was founded as a house chapel by Gytha, mother of King Harold who was killed at the Battle of Hastings. It was dedicated to St Olaf, a Viking King who had accepted Christ and who died in a rebellion in 1030. When King William I entered Exeter after a siege, Gytha who was defending the city escaped  with the help of the priest of St Olave's. William gave the church and surrounding land to the monks of Battle Abbey, who then established St Nicholas Priory nearby. The tower probably dates from this time.

The church was rebuilt at the end of the 14th century, with the figure of the Scourging of Christ dating from this period. The mediaeval bell has the inscription, 'Voce mew viva depello cuncta nociva' or 'By my lively voice I disperse all that is harmful.' The north aisle was added in the 15th century and a new entrance cut by the tower, which has since been blocked in, and now has a memorial to the fallen of the First War, including Thomas Moore.

The church prospered until Cromwell had it closed, and it was used for a time as a school room. The arrival of Huguenots fleeing persecution from France from 1635 saw the church repaired and revived for their use. It was also recorded again as a school in 1744, and it also was a military chapel for the regiment that was currently quartered in Exeter.

In the early 19th century the coat of arms of William III were added as a centre piece to the altar, along with flanking panels of the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments. Despite the inscription on its bell, it was tolled for the many victims of the cholera that swept the West Quarter in 1832. The church has survived for a thousand years and is still used, as one of the churches of the Parish of Central Exeter.

St Pancras' Church 

A small church situated in the Guildhall Centre, and in what was once known as the British Quarter of the city, it is a haven of calm amidst the commerce. Dedicated to St Pancras, the teenage martyr, the church is one of the oldest Christian sites in England. Only 46 ft by 16 ft, and built of Heavitree stone, it was first recorded in 1191, although the font is all that remains from that period. The majority of the surviving church dates from the 13th century, with some 16th century windows and a waggon roof.

The church was restored in 1831 by Robert Cornish who was responsible for one of the two large warehouses on the Quay. The remains of a Saxon doorway was discovered during the restoration along with carved fragments high in the south wall of the chancel. The bell turret contains a small bell founded in Mermaid Yard, off Coombe Street by Robert Newton, who established his bell foundry in 1423. The bell is inscribed Quamvis sum parva tamen audior ampla per arva or "I may be small, nevertheless I am heard over a wide distance". 

The church had a second restoration in 1888 by Pearson, architect of Truro Cathedral. In 1906, when Allhallows in Goldsmith Street was demolished, some furnishing was transferred to St Pancras including a Jacobean pulpit and some tablet memorials that are dedicated to victims of smallpox. The church had a new lease of life in the Second War when it was used by worshippers driven from their own, bomb damaged, or destroyed churches in the city. Before the Golden Heart redevelopment of the area in the 1970's the church was hemmed in with houses built against the west wall, and carparking spaces. The south east corner was chamfered to allow the easier passage of carriages and carts in earlier times.

St Petrock's, High Street

This maybe the oldest church in Exeter, and some think it was founded by St Petrock, the 6th century Cornish saint. Some sources are more conservative and date its founding to the 11th-century. Close to the centre of the city and the Guildhall, St Petrock's has had an important place in the lives of many city mayors. In 1286, St Petrock's became a superior postern entrance into Cathedral Yard and had to be shut at night.

The church was also used to support the poor and in 1411 a parishioner gave funds in his will for 100 poor persons in the parish be properly clothed. In 1548, Alexander Awdyan left 3s 4d annually for a sermon to be given at St Petrock's and St Saviours. The reformation saw the internal ornamentation removed, replaced in Queen Mary's time and then removed again during the reign of Elizabeth I along with the introduction of the new English Prayer Book.

St Petrock's was enlarged in 1587 and again in 1828 with a major restoration. The register dates from 1538 while accounts for the church go back to 1425.The church was used as a library for a time with the large volumes chained to the walls. The church was hidden from the High Street by inappropriate buildings for two centuries, when in 1905, they were removed to widen the High Street and expose the church to view once again.

The peal of six bells, said to be the lightest in Devon, are now the centre of a healthy training centre for new ringers. Three bells are dated 1677, 1693 and 1742.During the 1990's, the church has continued working with the poor by opening a centre for the homeless.

St Stephen's Church, High Street

St Stephens Church on the High Street in central Exeter, may have been built by a wealthy patron for the use of his family. The church was first mentioned in the 1086 Domesday book, although the crypt, unearthed in the 19th century is probably of Saxon origin.

In 1658, Cromwell decreed that all churches in Exeter be closed apart from four. St Stephen's drew the short straw and was sold to Toby Allen for £250, to be used as a stable.

Four years later, when the monarchy was restored, St Stephen's was in the process of restoration at a cost of £500 when it was destroyed by fire. In 1664, the people of the parish rebuilt the church, financed by city merchant and alderman, George Potter.

Damaged by incendiary

The building was largely unscathed during the bombing of May 1942 apart from a fire which caused the bells to fall to the floor. They were shattered, but the bronze from their remains have been recast into a new bell. In July 2007, contractors who had stripped the roof tiles in preparation for restoring the church roof were surpised by the roof timbers which showed considerable fire damage, and in some places, were mostly charcoal. Further investigation indicated that after the bombing of May 1942, the roof had caught fire, unbeknown to anyone, and smouldered for many months, or even years before naturally burning out.

Situated in the High Street, St Stephen's is now part of the Central Exeter Parish. It offers the weary shopper, coffee, charitable events and exhibitions during the day. There is an appeal for funds to restore the interior of the church, and plans to open up the area behind the altar, that is over St Stephens Bow, and also install a glass observation panel in the floor to allow the crypt to be viewed.

St Thomas the Apostle Church, Cowick Street

The Gervase Exe bridge had a church at the St Thomas end, similar to St Edmund's at the other end. However, the faster flowing river on this side often flooded the church on the bridge and eventually swept it away. In 1412, the new church of St Thomas Becket was built on safer high ground, and was consecrated by Bishop Stafford. In 1549 the vicar, Robert Welshe joined the Prayer Book Rebellion and the Catholic rebels who laid siege to Exeter for five weeks, from the west side of the river. After the rebellion failed, Welshe was captured, and hung from the tower of his church, for treason and for his part in the execution of a messenger on Exe Island who was travelling to Lord Russel's King's Army. His tarred body hung there until Mary succeeded her brother Edward VI in 1553. In 1645, the tower crashed to the ground when the church was destroyed by fire during the Civil War.

The present church, built of local red sandstone, dates from 1657 when it was named the very protestant, St Thomas the Apostle. The cost at the time was £587. During the 19th-century, various additions and removals were made. The bombing of 1942 destroyed the east end stained glass window, that was replaced in 1951. The grandfathers of the artist Sir Joshua Reynolds and General Gordon are buried in the church yard. There is also a memorial outside of the church which for some reason, commemorates Grace Darling. There were still public stocks in the churchyard before the First World War, although, not still in use.

Sidwell Street Methodist Church

This building, recently renovated, now shines like a beacon at this end of Sidwell Street. Its method of construction was ground breaking in Britain and it deserves a mention for that very reason.

Architect Frederick Commin, was commissioned to design a church for this site. His invitation for tenders, attracted one for £9,000 from Paul Cottancin, a French engineer who had built several ferro-concrete structures in France. The system used steel wires on which were threaded hollow red bricks, into which concrete was poured. In addition, decorative detail was created by casting concrete in moulds. These structures were also threaded onto the steel work. The result, was a light, strong structure. Unfortunately, Cottancin's tender was too little and the engineer was bankrupted by the building.

The church was opened on the 1st May 1905 by the Rev. F L Wiseman. After nearly a hundred years the building was dreary and dirty, and little appreciated by most who passed it. The renovation has really made this building sparkle and shows what can be done with some care and attention.

United Reformed Church, Fore Street

Situated on the corner of Homefield Road and Fore Street, the United Reformed Church was originally the Heavitree Congregational Chapel. Built of red-brick with a central tower, the foundation stone was laid in 1902. It replaced an earlier structure on the same site. The architect was Frederick J Commin and the builder Stephens and Son, both of Exeter. The cost in 1902, was £4,000.