Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is an Anglican parish church located in West Harptree. The building features a 12th-century west tower, a 13th-century spire, and a main body that was extensively restored in 1865 by C.E. Giles of Taunton, who added a new chancel. The tower and nave are constructed of random rubble, while the aisle and chancel are made of squared and coursed sandstone, with freestone dressings, copings, and quoins, and ashlar parapets. The spire is clad in copper and the roofs are covered with double Roman tiles.

The church consists of a nave, chancel, west tower, south aisle, south porch, and north vestry. The north wall of the nave features a segmental-headed 12th-century doorway with nook shafts and cushion capitals, along with a 3-light east window that has intersecting tracery and additional single cusped lights on the north and south walls. The tower is a single stage with clasping pilaster buttresses and plain square-headed bell openings, as well as narrow slits on the north and south faces. A 19th-century pointed arched doorway is present on the west facade, with a string course below the bell openings and plain corbels at the eaves of the spire. The tall broach spire is a notable feature.

The south aisle contains a 3-light Perpendicular window under a flat head, a 4-light traceried window under a pointed head, and another similar 3-light Perpendicular window. The east window of the aisle is also Perpendicular and consists of 3 lights. The gabled south porch has a triple chamfered pointed arched doorway, moulded eaves, and a plain parapet. Inside, there are stone benches along the side walls and stairs to the left leading to a former parvise, which is lit by a window on the east wall. The porch also features a triple chamfered Tudor arched doorway with 19th-century two-leaf plank doors.

Inside the nave, a 3-bay Perpendicular arcade leads to the south aisle, supported by octagonal piers and moulded arches. The nave has fine 15th-century corbel heads and a 19th-century wagon roof. The south aisle includes a trefoil-headed piscina in the southeast corner and a lean-to 19th-century rafter roof. The chancel arch is tripartite and the chancel itself has a wagon roof. The fittings include a 19th-century font, pulpit, and brass eagle lectern in the nave, while the chancel features stained glass from the 1890s in all three windows.