Church Of St Lawrence

ST44NE WESTBURY-SUB-MENDIP CP WELLS ROAD (South side)

9/154 Church of St Lawrence 22.11.66

GV II*

Anglican Parish Church. C12, C13, C15; restored 1887 with rebuilt tower. Coursed and squared rubble and some ashlar, freestone dressings, coped verges, cruciform finials, tile and lead sheeting roofs. Nave, chancel, south aisle, south transept, south porch, north organ chamber with vestry, west tower. Perpendicular. Severe unbuttressed 2-stage tower, 2-light bell-chamber windows, polygonal stair turret, clock; embattled parapet with corner pinnacles, may be re-used from earlier tower; west door opening incorporating earlier material. Three bay nave; blocked Norman north doorway, very plain and not in its original state, detached polygonal shafts, cushion caps; 2 and 3-light windows. Three bay aisle, buttresses, pierced parapet with trefoils in triangles, pinnacles, gargoyle; 3-light windows with elaborate tracery, labels. Transept contiguous in a conforming style. Two-storeyed porch with a former upper chamber, diagonal buttresses, pierced parapet, niche for former statue, now missing, moulded inner and outer door openings; inside benched on tile floor, stoup, niche with canopy for former statue, now missing. Short single bay chancel, 2-light Perpendicular window to south side, lancet to north side, late C13 east window of 2 lights with encircled quatrefoil in plate tracery, foiled rere-arch. Plastered interior on tile and encaustic tile floors. Roofs appear all C19 on C13/C15 corbels carved as heads, wall shafts to outer wall of the aisle; some corbels may have been restored C19. Late Norman tower arch of one order of columns, trumpet caps, one step arch. Three bay arcade to aisle, piers of 4 hollows moulding; similar the arches to transept and chancel; C19 arch to organ chamber. C13 octagonal font. C13 piscina to chancel. Perpendicular stone pulpit. Jacobean chest and chair. Late C19 pews, choir stalls, altar rails, brass lectern, very large neo-Decorated reredos and organ. Earliest monument to George Rodnei (sic), obit 1587, forming a reredos to transept, inscription plate in 4-centred arch, columns, entablature, no effigy. Wall monument dated 1615 behind organ; C17 slab to floor; good pedimented wall monument to nave inscribed; "J Tuckey Wedmore Fecit 1779". Five principal C19 wall monuments by Bath and Bristol firms. Late C19 stained glass to east window. (Pevsner, Buildings of England, North Somerset and Bristol, 1958).

Listing NGR: ST4996048704