St George'S Church

St George's Church, Fons George, Wilton

St George's is a parish church of mixed date, established as a Saxon chapel near a well called Fons George. Located approximately half a mile south-west of Taunton, the church represents continuous religious worship on the site for perhaps a thousand years. Wilton, whose name derives from "well-tun", was an early endowment of Taunton Priory and from 1308 was served by the vicar of St Mary. By the time of the major rebuilding in the 19th century, Wilton had been absorbed into Taunton itself.

The church is constructed of mixed rubble with Ham stone dressings and slate roofs. The plan comprises a west tower, five-bay nave with south aisle and porch, north aisle, a two-bay chancel with shorter symmetrical flanking chapels, and a vestry positioned east of the north chapel.

The fabric shows evidence of continuous development from the Saxon period onwards. Long-and-short work visible in the west wall south of the tower demonstrates that the west end of the nave incorporates remains of the original Saxon chapel. The medieval church underwent alterations in the 13th and 15th centuries, these phases being largely subsumed by later changes.

The tower was completely rebuilt in 1853 on the model of smaller Perpendicular village churches in Somerset. It is of two stages with diagonal buttresses, embattled parapet and two-light bell openings. At the north-west angle stands a taller stair turret with embattled crown and spirelet. A Perpendicular window of three lights sits above the west door.

The major enlargement of the east end took place in 1837-8, designed by Richard Carver, a prominent local architect. Carver's work was notably authentic in its Gothic detailing for the date. He replicated the two-light Perpendicular windows seen in the west bays of the nave, creating stylistic continuity. The two eastern bays of the nave, the chancel and its chapels all date from this campaign. The south porch has a moulded entrance arch, largely reworked in the 19th century. Flanking the chancel are lower chapels with flat parapets and single-light Perpendicular windows. The vestry at the north-east probably dates to 1897 or 1905, replacing an earlier north porch that existed by 1837.

The interior features a high narrow nave with wagon roof but no clerestorey. The nave arcades have four-centred arches and shafted piers. The western piers date to the 14th or 15th century and retain reset 13th-century responds against the west wall. The eastern two bays, of 1837-8, are of slightly different profile and constructed of plaster. A Victorian ringers' gallery occupies the tower. Above the chancel arch are three 19th-century windows arranged in a 1:3:1 pattern. The aisles are narrow.

The church was reseated with pine benches in 1870 by J. Houghton Spencer, a local architect and son of the vicar of Wilton, who also reordered the chancel in 1897. Further reordering took place in 1905 by A. Basil Cottam, including a red-and-white marble floor and dado to the chancel with opus-sectile panels depicting trees.

The principal furnishings and fittings include a reredos with relief of the Ascension dated 1887. A pulpit by J.H. Spencer from 1907 is constructed of green and grey marbles with gilded mosaic figure panels. A carved and painted Royal arms, dated 1787, survives in the church. Stained glass includes two small pieces of armorial enamelled glass in the north aisle west window, dated 1674 though the date is now illegible. The east window, by J. Dudley Forsyth, dates to 1905, with a second window by him in the south aisle from 1907. A particularly notable window in the south chapel east window is a semi-abstract design in vivid purple-blues signed by Paul Jefferies, dated 1962. The west window displays the hot palette typical of the 1850s and is in the style of William Warrington. Several 19th-century tablets are present, including a large one to Sir Benjamin Hammett (died 1800) by Richard Westmacott junior; its Grecian style suggests a date a decade or two after his death. Minor early 19th-century tablets also survive.