Church Of St Mary

ST51NW CHILTHORNE DOMER CP MAIN STREET (West side) 3/53 Church of St Mary 19.4.61 GV II* Anglican parish church. C13, C14, C15, some C19 restoration. Ham stone coursed rubble, with some cut and squared work, ashlar dressings; Welsh slate roof over stone slate base courses to chancel, with coped east gable; sheet lead roof to nave behind parapets; stone slab roof to porch. Two cell plan of 2-bay chancel and 3-bay nave, with south porch, north-east vestry/organ chamber and another vestry opposite south porch. Chancel probably late C13, east wall rebuilt in C19: chamfered plinth corbel table; 3-light reticulated traceried east window with plain label; to north side a 2-light C19 flat arched window with cusped lights, with a probably C15 example in south wall opposite, together with simple cusped lancet and a blocked chamfered 4-centred arched doorway between them; organ chamber to north-east has 3-light geometric traceried window without label in east gable. Nave has indications of higher chancel roof in east wall; chamfered plinth, string course with gargoyles and low battlemented parapet; buttress with 2 scratch dials to south-east corner and pairs buttresses to west end, about 2/3 height, square roof stair turret to north-east corner: north wall has two 2-light reticulated traceried windows with labels, and to south are two 3-light C15 traceried windows in hollowed arched recesses with simple labels: west wall plain, showing line of pre-battlemented steeply pitched roof, and crowned with small oblong bell turret, Brympton style, which has 2 four-centred arched openings to each face above a moulded corbel, then a pyramidal roof with gabletted and cross finial and corner pinnacles. South porch probably C14, with simple moulded pointed outer arch; inner arch possible earlier, with double chamfered order; the door very early, with plate for sanctuary handle; pointed barrel vault ceiling under stone slab roof, with string at springing level. Vestry opposite south porch may be C20. Inside the chancel has a C19 ribbed and boarded roof, and east and north walls probably C19 rebuilds; south-west window has cinquefoil cusped rere-arch; chancel arch double chamfer on corbel heads. Nave has cusped braced queenpost roof, probably C15/C16 with moulded timbers, panelling and leaf bosses; simple rere-arches to north wail windows; otherwise plain walls: small stoup near south door. Fittings include very elaborate C19 timber reredos with side panels; early C17 octagonal timber panelled pulpit with matching back panel and flat topped tester, and pews incorporate such C17 work in dado panelling and bench ends, soap original doors being incorporated in the dadoes; octagonal panelled font on square panelled shaft, C15, with C17 cover. In north wall of sanctuary a recumbent effigy in segmental arched recess, the effigy c1275. A broken bell, probably early, at west end of church. (Pevsner, Buildings of England, South and West Somerset, 1958).

Listing NGR: ST5248219423