Church Of St Mary Major

Church of St Mary Major

This is an Anglican parish church in Ilchester, a major surviving example from a town that once had at least eight medieval churches. The building is primarily 13th century and later, with a south aisle added in 1879–80. It is constructed of local lias stone, cut and squared, with Ham stone ashlar and dressings. The roofs are of Welsh slate between coped gables, with ornamental clay tile ridges to the nave and side aisle, plain clay tiles over stone slate base courses to the chancel, and a flat roof to the north chapel.

The church follows a four-cell plan comprising a two-bay chancel, three-bay nave with south aisle, a single-bay north chapel, and a west tower.

The chancel is 13th century or possibly earlier. It is rendered on the south side. The east window has plate tracery of three semi-circular arched lights with quatrefoils over, set within a chamfered semi-circular arched recess with label. The south side contains a 19th-century buttress, a three-light flat arched hollow recessed window, and to its right a simple doorway dated 1672, which may indicate the date of all the side chancel windows. To the north are two similar windows—one of three lights, the other of five lights with a four-centred sub-arch featuring quatrefoil tracery and foliage carved spandrels.

The north chapel has angled corner buttresses and one to the north wall. That wall features a simple 17th or 18th-century doorway and a five-light window in a shallower recess with uncarved spandrels. The east wall contains a three-light window in a four-centred arched hollowed recess, possibly 15th century, which may represent the re-use of a nave window—two similar windows exist in the north wall of the nave, divided by a buttress.

The south aisle, added 1879–80, has a plinth, eaves course, and angled corner and bay buttresses. Its south wall windows copy those of the north wall of the nave, while the east and west windows feature more elaborate four-light Geometric style tracery in pointed arches with labels.

The tower is of three stages and possibly dates entirely to the 13th century. The low first stage has corner buttresses and is broached at the head, forming an octagonal tower to the upper stages. String courses and a plain shallow parapet with moulded coping are present. The west door has two orders of chamfered pointed arch with label shaved off. The second stage carries a clockface and slim lancet on the west face only. The third stage has slim lancets to all principal faces, fitted with wood baffles, and a small rectangular window in the north face.

Inside, the porch occupies the under-tower space and features a moulded rib and panel ceiling, possibly 15th century, with stairs in the north-east angle. The inner arch has two chamfered orders, with the inner order on corbelled bell capitals. Traces of colour decoration appear on the outer arch. Set in the south wall are two 13th or 14th-century fragments of memorial crosses.

The chancel interior has a fine rere-arch with headstop label and stiff-leaf capped sideshafts to the east window, and chamfered reveals to the side windows. A 19th-century arch-braced truss roof covers the chancel. The chancel arch is probably 13th century and has a squint on the north side. The nave contains a 19th-century roof, unplastered walls, and a 15th-century panelled arch into the side chapel. A pointed arched niche and former doorway into the belfry on the west wall are also present.

The north chapel is rendered, with a 20th-century boarded roof but with springers suggesting what may have been a two-bay fan vault. Canopies occupy the north-east and south-east corners; the latter contains a statue recess in the south wall.

Fittings include fragments of 17th-century dado panelling and a 17th-century chair in the chancel. An octagonal timber pulpit, which could be very late 16th century rather than Jacobean, features panel arches treated in perspective. Most remaining work is 19th century. Fragments of medieval stained glass survive in the chapel.

Memorials include an alabaster and lias stone tablet to Mary Raymond, died 1639; a nicely incised lias stone plaque to Eleanor Clement, died 1748, both in the chancel; and a tablet to William Raymond, died 1625, by the pulpit. Traces of 13th-century wall painting appear on the nave north wall.

The church was in the patronage of Muchelney Abbey until 1239, apparently the first record of this arrangement.