Church Of St Michael And All Angels

PURITON CP RYE (North side) ST54SW 5/54 Church of St Michael and All Angels 29.3.63

GV I

Anglican parish church. Early C13 tower, remainder C14/C15, cast-iron rainwater head dated 1877 marking a restoration. Coursed and coursed and squared rubble, freestone dressings, slate and lead sheeting roofs, except tower with pyramidal fishscale tile roof with weathervane, coped verges. Nave, chancel, south porch, north aisle, north vestry, west tower. Early English and Perpendicular. Squat unbuttressed tower of 4 receding stages, embattled parapet on corbels, low rectangular stair-turret to south with single pitch roof with stone slates; on the lowest stage of tower a lancet window to west, on stage above further lancets to north, south, and west sides; top stage with 2-light Perpendicular bell-chamber windows; C19 west doorway, studded door with iron strap hinges; clock to south with Roman numerals. Four bay nave, simple 2-light pointed-head windows. High porch with shallow front-facing gable; a gargoyle in the form of an angel to each side; outer door opening with moulded head on dressed lias jambs; interior benched on a tile floor, C14/C15 roof with an ornamental wall plate, inner dooway with ribbed and studded door with iron strap hinges; upper and lower entrances to a parvis with stair, floor to this upper room now removed. Four bay aisle, lean-to roof, 2-stage buttresses with offsets, simple 2-light pointed head windows. Two bay chancel, much restored; diagonal 2-stage east buttresses; 2-light square head windows, east end with 3 mid C19 neo-Early English windows; priests door to south with scratch dial on a jamb. Vestry with 2-light Gothick casement with Y-tracery. Interior scraped on C19 tile floor by Maw and Co of Broseley Salop. C19 plastered wagon roof to nave, C19 wagon roof to chancel, C14/15 lean-to to north aisle. Tower arch low and double-chamfered on moulded brackets, typical of their date. Plain chancel arch. Four bay arcade to north aisle, piers of 4-hollows section. Perpendicular rood screen, 3-light sections with some panel tracery, embattled top. C15 font; Perpendicular piscina to aisle. Three-light pointed head window between aisle and vestry with tracery; and 2-light square head window between chancel and vestry, both obscured by the addition of the vestry. Chest dated 1629, further C17 chest and chair, leaden reredos incorporating Jacobean and medieval work, made up from old pews and bench ends removed in 1859 when the church was reseated. C19 choir stalls, altar rails, organ, lectern and pulpit; chancel with sedilia, probably medieval but restored C19. C18 memorial slab to nave, also early C19 wall monument with figure of grieving muse and mid C19 Gothic wall monument. Late C19 stained glass, west window with figures. (Pevsner, Buildings of England, South and West Somerset, 1958).

Listing NGR: ST3202741719