St Olave's Church, Exeter, Devon

A surprising delight hidden in plain view, this little church is one of several that are situated in the heart of Exeter city. Originally erected as a chapel in the 11th century, it is thought to have been built for King Harold's mother, Gytha, and is dedicated to Saint Olaf, an 11th century King of Norway who was martyred in battle.
 

Constructed in Heavitree stone, most of the existing building is late medieval, when it was rebuilt in the late 14th century. A new door was made in the 15th century but was later blocked in and the carving of the crucificion was added as a memorial to those who fell during WW1.
 

The delightful windows of the inner door remind me of those in Colyford's Chapel of Ease, consisting of small squares of glass. The church was restored in 1815 and again in 1874, which is consistent with the time that Colyford's chapel was built. Services were held in the French language for the Hugenot refuges during the 17th and 18th century.
 

The church consists of a three bay nave with octagonal piers and a castellated tower. The north aisle was added in the 15th century.

 

The altar comprises a centre piece bearing the coat of arms of William III flanked by panels of the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments.

The tower with font next to it.

The font is really lovely. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find anything about it at all, not even in the British Buildings Listing. The carvings are such a delight.
 

And situated inside the tower is the pulpit, below.

A  view of the sanctuary and north aisle, the first two below taken from the pulpit.

And some more from the nave.

I don't know where this door leads to. It looks rather dark and I didn't go up there so maybe there was a locked door at the top of the stairs. Looking at my photos I realise that I didn't see everything...which is often the case afterwards, necessitating further visits if and when possible.

A fabulous floor comprising memorial slabs.

A lovely little church, I really enjoyed spending some time there exploring and taking photos. It definitely deserves another visit, which I may be able to do sometime in the future.

And finally, a photo taken in passing another time in Exeter, this time with the addition of a bench outside.