Catholic Church Of St Benet'S And Adjoining Priest'S House

KEMERTON CP MAIN STREET (north side) SO 9437 - 9537 9/81 Catholic Church of St Benet's and adjoining priest's house - II

Catholic church and adjoining priest's house. Circa 1843 by a partner of Weightman and Hadfield of Sheffield. Limestone ashlar and machine-tiled roofs which have gable-end parapets with cusped gabled finials supporting cast iron cross finials and decorative ridge tiles. Three-bay nave on north/ south axis with east porch, sanctus bellcote and single-bay chancel. Decorated style. Nave: chamfered plinth, diagonal buttresses with offsets at north end and also buttresses at bay divisions in side elevations. Windows have hood- moulds with returns. There is a 3-light north end window and two east side and three west side windows of two lights. The east porch is gabled with end parapet and buttresses. It has a pointed doorway of two chamfered orders and a hoodmould with returns. There is a cusped lancet in the gable apex and also a lancet in each side elevation. Within the porch is a cusped stoup and there is a pointed east doorway. The tall gabled sanctus bellcote has side buttresses, a cross finial and a pointed archway within which hangs a single bell. The chancel has diagonal south end buttresses with offsets, a 3-light south window which has a hoodmould with returns and above it is a cusped pointed niche with an angel corbel at the base and having a crocketted hoodmould on human head corbels. There is a cusped lancet in the east elevation. Interior: pointed chancel arch with semi-octagonal responds. Arch-braced collar truss roof. Original fittings include reredos with traceried arcading, cusped pointed piscina and three-bay sedilia, octagonal stone font and three-sided stone pulpit. Also west organ gallery, organ having cusped open panels articulated by slender pinnacled buttresses and an embattled cornice. Priest's house adjoins west elevation and is linked to the church by a smaller parallel wing. The roof is similarly detailed and has two large ashlar ridge stacks and also a large east side stack. Two storeys. The windows are all mullioned with pointed lights and square heads. The south gable end has a ground floor hipped roof canted bay window and a 3-light first floor window. The south end of the linking wing has a 3-light ground floor window and a 2-light first floor window. In the angle between the house and linking wing is the main entrance which has a flat-roofed porch with a parapet and a chamfered doorway with half-glazed double doors. There is a single-storey service wing at the rear north gable end. [VCH, Vol 8, p 219 (Glos)].

Listing NGR: SO9491637374