Church Of The Blessed Virgin Mary

ASHILL CP ASHILL VILLAGE ST31NW 2/1 Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary (formerly listed as Church of St Mary) 4.2.58 GV II*

Anglican parish church, C12 or C13, with various later alteration, Local stone rubble, with some grey lias stone, Has stone dressings; plain clay tiled roofs with coped gables, and bands of scalloped tiles to chancel. Two-cell plan of single-bay chancel and 3-bay nave, with north and south porches and west tower, Chancel plain, with cill-high plinth, on east side; east window 3-light C15 traceried, set in hollowed recess under square-stopped arched label; north window a 2-light, probably C19, in moulded reveal; on south side two 2-light plate-tracery windows with plain arched labels, and between them a small moulded pointed-arched doorway. Nave also plain, with buttresses to corners at west end; on south side two 2-light late C15 flat-arched windows with cinquefoil cusped ogee-head lights and quatrefoil spandril under deep square labels having shield stops; one similar window west of north porch, and to east a C19 reconstruction of a C13 plate-traceried window. Simple south porch, the pointed-arched doorway almost totally blocked and a small C20 window inserted: north porch also plain, with chamfered segmental-pointed outer arch, and semi-circular arched ribbed ceiling vault; stone bench seats; the inner archway of C12 or C13, stilted segmental with chevron decoration, the side shafts octagonal on plan with one cushion and one scallop capital. The west tower in 2 stages; plinth, angled corner buttresses with offset to nearly full height, string courses, corner gargoyles to top, battlemented parapet; moulded 4-centre-arched west doorway in rectangular recess with quatrefoil panel spandrils and deep square label; above a 3-light 4-centre- arched window with simple C16 or C17 tracery set in deep hollowed recess with label over; otherwise stage one plain: to second stage are 2-light C15 traceried windows with horizontal baffles, that on the south face part blocked; additional small rectangular window below in west face: on north- east corner a rectangular plan stair turret to above tower height, crowned with weathervane dated 1867. Interior not accessible, but reported is a chancel arch with chevron decoration, altered, with two blocked recesses for side altars; inner shafts and rere-arches of Decorated period to chancel windows; cinquefoil rere-arch to north-east nave window, Fittings include an early C17 pulpit, and a C15 octagonal font. In the north wall of the nave two early C14 tomb recesses, one with the effigy of a lady of c1300, the other is of a knight of c1380. (Pevsner, N. Buildings of England South and West Somerset, 1958),

Listing NGR: ST3211617263