St Johns Church

 
The most ancient relic at Plymtree Church is the great yew tree in the churchyard which experts tell us is some 1,100 years old! It probably replaced a ritual tree of the pagan Saxons, perhaps even the Celts and the village is, almost certainly named after it.

The adjoining church was erected on the site of a previous building in 1261, though much of the present building is 14th century. Note the medieval statue of Madonna and Child on the tower which escaped destruction at the Reformation. 

Within this petite church, the visitor is immediately drawn to the striking rood screen. A fine example of a 15th century fan-vaulted Devonshire screen, it sparkles golden in the sunshine.

Look down and over thirty panels showing colourful little saints greet your eyes: some are biblical, some local.

Every attribute tells a story.

Note St. Sidwell with the scythe that removed her head and St. Joseph of Arimathea with the two cruets containing Christ's blood and sweat.

In days gone by, Plymtree was a stop-off point for pilgrims travelling to Glastonbury from the Devon ports. St. Joseph's image must therefore have been a welcome addition to the church.

An old story tells how the screen may not have arrived here until after the Reformation, having been removed from Dunkerswell Abbey during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.
 
However, modern opinion tends to dismiss this idea. It fits its slot extremely well and the built-in stair shows the church always did have a rood screen.

Other interesting features include 15th century carved bench ends and an alabaster panel of 16th century Flemish sculpture showing the risen Christ.
 
It was removed from the altar at the turn of the last century when the new east window was put in.

 
The Church
The present Church of St John the Baptist dates from 14th century and replaced a much earlier structure possibly Saxon or Norman. It was included in Simon Jenkins’ book “1000 Best Churches”, published in 1999.

The Church visitors’ book includes many comments about the beauty, tranquillity, peace and atmosphere of the church building, whether visiting for worship or more casually. Amongst the characteristics of the church are:
 

• A listed beautiful medieval building with tower and unusual Tudor windows to the north. Carved medieval rood screen complete with original paintings on the panels.
• Many of the wooden pews have medieval carved ends. There is seating for about 100 without additional chairs.
• There is an organ which was installed in 1979 and is used regularly in worship, supplemented by the use of pre recorded CDs.
• The outside of the tower includes a rare statue of the Madonna and Child, which was restored in 1989 and consequently won the John Betjeman Award from the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings.
• There are six bells in the tower which are rung on special occasions.

The Fellowship

There is one service on each Sunday. Each month these have included one or two Eucharists, based on Common Worship 1 or 2, Morning Prayer from Common Worship and a more informal Family Service or Parish Fellowship with an occasional Family Communion.

The Church is the centre of the community and is often full to overflowing at weddings and funerals. Baptisms are also well attended and the church has developed a programme of preparation for baptism which involve the priest and lay people. The clergy have undertaken marriage preparation.

There are informal groups which meet for fellowship at various times; eg a Lent Study Group which meets with members from the United Reformed Church and Beta Group which has 8 members from the 3 parishes meeting weekly.