THE WAR MEMORIAL
to the dead of two world wars is a plain white marble plaque on the north wall. It has been suggested that this provides evidence of the wide divergence between church and chapel in the 1920s, for there was a village War Memorial in the forecourt of the Methodist Chapel in Chapel Hill, only a few hundred yards from the church, while the memorial in the church notes 'erected by the congregation of Ss Peter and Paul Odcombe'. A more charitable explanation would be that the church congregation preferred the present day practice of holding their Remembrance Day service in church, rather than being exposed to the vagaries of the November weather. (The Methodist Chapel has now closed, and the War Memorial has been renovated and moved to the entrance to Coryate Close.)
THE BELLS
Odcombe possesses a fine peal of bells, set high in the tower, with the ringing chamber immediately underneath The original set of 5 bells, cast by Thomas and James Bilbie of Chewstoke in 1791, was increased to 6 in 1968, when Mr. & Mrs E. M. Groves donated a 15th century treble bell, acquired from a church at Raddington in Somerset. The original bells bear inscriptions, including:-
'My treble voice makes hearts rejoice'
'Thomas and James Bilbie Chewstoke Fecit 1791'
'Repent I say be not too late thyself at all times ready make' 'Prepare to meet thy God' and
'I to the church the living call, and to the grave do summon all'
'Thomas and James Bilbie Chewstoke Fecit 1791'
'Repent I say be not too late thyself at all times ready make' 'Prepare to meet thy God' and
'I to the church the living call, and to the grave do summon all'
The bells were refurbished and re-hung in 1996, much of the cost being donated by the bell ringers. There is a strong tradition of bell ringing in Odcombe - the ringers practice every Friday evening and turn out regularly for the Sunday morning service and for weddings.
THE FLOWERS.
One further aspect deserves special mention. The flowers. Every week (except in Advent and Lent) a dedicated band of helpers clean the church and decorate it with flowers by the altar, and on a pedestal on the pulpit plinth. The window sills and font are also decorated at Christmas, Easter and Harvest- the church always has a welcome and 'lived in' look, emphasising that this is much more than an ancient building - it is part of the village and the living Church.
The Chancel was enlarged and the vestry and transepts added during the Victorian restoration, and are typical of the Victorian Gothic style.