Church Of St Mary

SO 41 NE; 4/181

WELSH NEWTON CP, WELSH NEWTON

Church of St Mary

25/02/66

GV

I

Parish church. C13, C14 alteration and additions, C16 roof. Restored 1869 by Hans F Price of Weston-super-Mare. Coursed sandstone rubble, worked rubble dressings, artificial stone slates to roof. West tower, nave and chancel with south porch and north vestry.

West belfry tower: two stages with short octagonal broached spire, projecting plinth and moulded string course, further string course to belfry stage, short clasping buttresses, square headed vents to belfry, weathervane to spire, weatherings to earlier roof line to east side. Four bay nave and two bay chancel in one; one lancet to west and four similar lancets to east of south porch; gabled dormer to light rood screen, 2-light window with trefoiled ogee-headed lights and quatrefoil, hoodmould, gable surmounted by small stone cross at apex; three short stepped buttresses. Gabled south porch, pointed arched doorway of two orders; inner rounded and outer chamfered, chamfered jambs square stone stoup against inner east wall. East window designed 1862 by J P Seddon, executed by Powell of Whitefriars.

INTERIOR: continuous ceiled waggon roof with moulded members and small square bosses. One moulded tie beam and cut ends of one other remain of earlier roof, moulded wooden wall plate with red crosses on tie-beam stubs. Fine stone rood screen: three bays, central narrower bay with 2-centred arch, outer segmental pointed arches, two moulded orders, octagonal piers and semi-octagonal responds with moulded bases and capitals, hoodmoulds to arches and hollow chamfered cornice with ball flower ornament. Fittings: C12 font, plain circular bowl with tapering sides, squat circular base. Stone seat in north wall of chancel with shaped arm rests. Piscina in east splay of south-east window of chancel; small trefoil headed recess. The red crosses marked on the wall-plate and cut end, of tie-beams probably refer to the Knights Templar who held the church until 1312 when it passed to the Knights Hospitaller.

Listing NGR: SO4996118022