Church Of St Mary

ST23SE NORTH PETHERTON CP FORE STREET (South side)

7/76 Church of St. Mary (formerly listed as North Petherton Church) 29.3.63

GV I

Anglican Parish church. Dedicated C12, C15, early C16; alterations 1834-9 by Richard Carver and later C19 restoration. Random rubble and ashlar, slate and lead sheeting roofs, coped verges and crenellated parapets. Nave, chancel, north and south aisles continuing east as chapels clasping the chancel, north and south porches, west tower, east sacristy. Perpendicular. Tower one of the finest in the county; 3-stages, set-back buttresses with 3 tiers of tall pinnacles, embattled and quatrefoiled parapet, quatrefoiled bands between the stages; west doorway flanked by niches, one with remains of a figure, quatrefoil frieze above with transomed 4-light window over, tracery also below the transom. On the north and south sides of the bottom stage further statuettes in niches; second stage with 3-light transomed windows with Somerset tracery; third stage with lavish bell openings, Somerset tracery, traceried panelling above; low stair turret to south. All windows large with pointed arch heads, 3 and 4-lights; clerestory to nave with 3-light windows; single storey sacristy. Inside of porch with corbels carved as angels. Scraped interior under panelled roofs, tower with fan vault; some corbels carved as angels. Five bay arcades, with piers of 4-hollows section, circular capitals to the shafts; studded with small rosettes. Lofty panelled tower arch and west arches to the chancel chapels of the same type; arches between chapels and chancel have as east responds the busts of angels. Perpendicular pulpit, C14 font, the former with fine traceried panels. Balcony gallery opening to south aisle from upper floor of the porch, dated 1623 with figure of Father Time. Two carved bench ends in nave dated 1596 and 1629. Carved door to sacristy. Carved sculpture, known as Samson, over tower clock, originally carried pulpit. Brass to nave floor to Katherine Morley obit. 1652; matrices of 2 further medieval brasses remain. Fine screen of 1909 in Perpendicular style. Some C19 stained glass; window by Kempe; 2 C20 windows by Sir Henry Holiday (Pevsner N., Buildings of England, South and West Somerset, 1958; VCH forthcoming).

Listing NGR: ST2902833021