St Mary's Church, Ottery St Mary, Devon

The lovely town of Ottery St Mary takes its name, in part, from the magnificent parish church of St Mary. Although an earlier church existed before the Conquest (benefacted by Edward the Confessor and consecrated by Bishop Bronescombe in 1260), it was rebuilt circa 1330 and was a legacy of John de Grandisson, Bishop of Exeter (1327-69). St Mary's is a scaled-down version of Exeter Cathedral, on which it was modelled, and is a Grade I British Listed Building.

The church contains ten misericords dating from 1350, five showing the arms of Bishop John de Grandisson. The church interior also has two carved stone green men. The poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who was born in the town, is commemorated in a small stone plaque situated on the south churchyard wall. Other interesting features include the tomb of Otho de Grandisson and his wife, and the altar screen and wooden eagle given by Bishop Grandisson.

It almost looks like a fairy-tale castle on the north side (above) and the interior is absolutely stunning. Far from being gloomy, the Mediaeval age was one of colour, and many facades which are now bare stone (such as the complex statuary on the front exterior of Exeter Cathedral) were originally highly painted in bright blues, reds, greens and gold. St Mary's conjures up, for me, the age of heraldry, and an area where the ordinary townsfolk could enjoy a rich and wealthy interior in which to glorify their God.

Although most of the stone is left bare, as is usual these days, the ribs on the rib vaulted ceiling have been picked out in blue, red and gold with added gilt on the bosses.

 Where the stone has been left bare the effect is still completely breathtaking.

The perpendicular North Dorset Aisle.

I've visited the church several times; these two photos showing how it looks on a sunny Summer day with golden light flooding the aisle.

The West Apostles window.

The sanctuary is beautifully decorated in red and gilt, with an exquisite carved reredos, below.

Looking from the chancel down the nave.

And, like Exeter Cathedral, there are aisles either side to access behind the sanctuary; a small ambulatory area behind the altar screen, with the Lady Chapel behind that. The Chapels of St Stephen and St Lawrence are either side of the Lady Chapel.

The 14th century astronomical clock in the South transept bell tower (below) is attributed to Bishop Grandisson. It adheres to Ptolemaic Cosmology, with the Earth at the centre of the solar system, and still works to this day. It is one of the oldest surviving astronomical clocks in the country, along with another in Exeter cathedral.

The South transept also contains this lovely mosaic tiling by William Butterfield, as directed by the first Baron Coleridge during mid 19th century restorations.

No less gorgeously decorated; the marble font, below, also by William Butterfield.

And canopied monuments to Sir Otho and Lady Grandisson with beautifully carved ogee arches.

The gorgeous old south door, which is the entrance in use.

Then to finish up with is this lovely old door inside the church. Such a beautiful building with its breathtaking architecture and lots of interesting, and delightful things to see inside.

Otter Mill Complex, Ottery St Mary, Devon

A really interesting site comprising an old mill, a tumbling weir and a factory.

On the site of the old mill there was originally a corn mill, which had been there for 700 years. However, it was demolished in order to build a larger one during the 18th century. This was in conjunction with the building of a new carding and wool-spinning manufactory in an attempt to revive the cloth industry in the area (a major industry in Devon since mediaeval times), which had declined due to the production of cotton and cheaper Yorkshire yarns.

An old millstone can be seen near to the weir, embedded in the ground and edged with bricks, above right.
 

The water supplied by the leat was not sufficient for the new mill, the water level in the mill basin needing to be raised, therefore the fall along the leat was reduced and the water level maintained by the circular 'tumbling weir'. This discharged the overflow into the river via a short tunnel and the water for the factory was conveyed by an overhead aqueduct to the wheel inside, whereas another overshot water wheel powered the corn mill.

The water runoff on its way back to the river.

The manufacture was later converted to silk in 1824, employing up to 400 female workers, then in 1897 sold to brush manufacturers Keetch & Co. The corn mill continued operation until 1937, and is now unoccupied.

A small lane runs between the old corn mill and the factory. The photos below show the front of the mill as seen on the lane.

The word scratched into the cement patch on the wall (above) looks a bit like Snoop. If so, then that would be me! ;) Below, a photo of the mill taken from the factory site across the lane.

The factory site, once belonging to Ottermill Switchgear then latterly Eaton Cutler & Hammer Ltd, was also unoccupied at the time of my visit in 2008, having been closed down in 2003.

The original factory on the opposite side of the lane above and below.  

A door on the side elevation, below, which may have led to the offices.

And almost opposite that is the gated entrance from the road.

Between the factory and the road is this strip of garden with trees, shrubs and tiny bridges across a small stream.

The long adjacent factory building, seen below, may have been added later to house the more modern factory floor and facilitate deliveries. Left empty for many years, after failed attempts to lure new manufacturers, it was eventually demolished in 2016.

I happened to go past in someone's car last year and this part of the site is now full of houses, the original tall factory building has been converted into a block of flats and the lane and older mill are still there, as far as I could tell as we whizzed past.

A few photos taken at the rear of the factory, which although not overly interesting is good to have for the record now that it's no longer there.

And finally, some photos of a few odd bits and pieces that don't really fit in anywhere.