St James the Great, Talaton

It is fairly certain that a small Norman church stood here in the 12th century, and its late Norman font still stands in the current church, much of which dates from the 15th century, replacing a smaller, simpler church. The clock is mounted on the first level of the tower, which itself is recognised as one of the finest in the whole of England. This room contains not one but two clock movements. The older, disused one, is still in its original position against the back wall, and it never had a face, as it was dependent on chimes to announce the time. It was made by Francis Pile of Honiton, at a cost of £12 in 1752, when it was first housed in the tower. The church is in the later English style, with a very hand-some tower, and contains several canopied niches having figures of saints, and a beautiful wooden screen, with a flight of stone steps leading to a rood-loft. This Norman Font was removed from the original 12th.Century church and placed in the present structure when erected during the early part of the 15th.Century.