St. John the Baptist  
Parish Church.  Yarcombe.  Devon



 
The fabric of the church with the exception of the Chancel dates from the 14th century.  The Chancel had a major reconstruction which was completed in 1891. This date is considered to be the year when the Perkins HPHW system was installed. The village of Yarcombe did not get connected to the national electricity grid until the early 1960's, so it comes as no surprise  to find the the pipework system still working with its gravity circulation.

It is always remarkable to find a Perkins heating system  still in use, which was originally installed during the Victorian period. To now find three Perkins heating systems in the same County all with their brickwork furnaces still in use is extraordinary. The brickwork furnace shown below has two circuits / banks of rectangular spiral heating pipe coils. It was originally solid fuel fired, but has now been converted to oil firing.



Two 4-pipe high sinuous pipe coils are fitted to the pews in both side aisles. The Victorian craftsmanship shown in the forming of the return bends has to be recognised and appreciated when it is considered that the construction of all pipework was hand made most likely at the site. Electrical and hydraulic machine tools were not invented during the Victorian period.

       







There is a single
expansion tube
located in the Vestry. The system fill point for the two pipework circuits is sited behind the rear pews.









This wall mounted
thermostat  is an item
of control equipment
that is not often seen
in use today.

Made by Rheostatic
Controls Ltd
Satchwell. It provides
a coarse form of
frost control for the
heating system by
overriding the time
control operation of
the oil burner. 



CIBSE  HERITAGE GROUP
 SEPTEMBER  2002