Church Of St Andrew

ST 55 NW BLAGDON C.P. CHURCH STREET (west side)

10/31 Church of St. Andrew 9.2.61 G.V. II*

Anglican parish church. C15 west tower, remainder 1907-9 by Sir Frank Wills. Closely jointed squared and coursed dressed stone to tower, rockfaced rubble squared and coursed with ashlar dressings to remainder. Nave, chancel, west tower, north and south aisles, south porch. Impressive tall tower of 4 stages with set back buttresses and moulded string courses, taller polygonal north east corner stair turret with crocketted pyramidal cap and pierced quatrefoil lozenge parapet with crocketted pinnacles. West face has deeply moulded pointed-arched doorway with early C20 two-leaf plank door and above, a tall 4-light window under pointed head. 2nd stage has an aedicula with crocketted side shafts and canopy in which is set a statue of Christ as the Good Shepherd. 3rd stage has 2-light blind window as on both 2nd and 3rd stages to both north and south faces. Bell stage has pointed-arched openings with panelled blind tracery. Crocketted shafts between these and at the corners developing from the buttresses. Remainder of the church is in a mechanical Perpendicular style with 3-light windows and pierced trefoil triangular parapets with slender crocketted pinnacles and rich gargoyles. Interior. Fine 4-bay nave arcades with wave moulded pointed arches and foliage capitals that are closer in style to Decorated rather than Perpendicular. Tower has 2 orders of wave moulding to arch and fan vault to bell chamber. Rafter roofs throughout. Chancel south wall has piscina with C12 frieze of the 4 Evangelists under canopies. Fittings. Complete set of contemporary fittings comprising font, pulpit, rood screen, chancel screens, tower arch screen and pews (all 1907-9). Several wall monuments reset under tower; royal coat of arms on tower north wall: painted wooden panel dated 1826. North tower arch jamb has a framed letter of c.1767 written by the Rev. Augustus Toplady. Particularly fine set of stained glass in all windows dating from the rebuilding: Old Testament figures in the north aisle, New Testament figures in the south aisle. (N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England : North Somerset and Bristol, 1958).

Listing NGR: ST5041258973