Church Of St Mary The Virgin

ST54SE CROSCOMBE CP CHURCH STREET (East side)

14/28 Church of St Mary the Virgin

2.6.61

GV I

Anglican Parish Church. Predominantly C15/C16; C19 restoration. Ashlar, lead sheeting roofs, coped verges, cruciform finials. Nave, chancel, north and south aisles clasping the latter, the south with a 2-storey meeting room at its west end, north aisle with a transeptal chapel, now a vestry, west tower, south porch. Perpendicular. Three-stage west tower, diagonal buttresses, pinnacles, embattled parapet, gargoyles, niches with figures, recessed stone spire with a band of blind arcading, 2-light bell-chamber windows with louvres; clock to south side; low turret to ringing chamber; 2-light west window, west door. Nave with a crenellated parapet with pinnacles, gargoyles; continuous over chancel; clerestory stage with 3-light cambered head windows, 3 to nave, one beyond the chancel arch. Aisle parapets with blind foiled niches, similar continuing over porch, meeting room and north chapel, further gargoyles. Four bay aisles with buttresses, large 3-light windows, north and south doorways; north aisle with a rood turret. South porch with a shafted C13 door opening. Meeting room with 2-light windows to first floor, barred openings to ground floor; chapel with 2 cusped lancets; small 3-light window to each side of chancel, 5-light east window. Particularly well furnished interior; plastered, flag floors; 5 bay arcade to north and south aisles, piers with 4 shaft-mouldings; tower arch of 3 recessed orders; chancel arch on corbels. C15 wagon roof to nave with bosses; restored lean-to roofs to aisles, that to south on elaborate corbels; C17 tie-bean roof to chancel on angel corbels; fan vault under tower, vestry with a ribbed tunnel vault. C14 piscina with a cusped head; entrance to rood loft; C19 stone reredos with a medieval tablet inset to each side. Much woodwork the gift of the Fortesque family, particularly the 2-tiered arcaded screen with attached paired readers, obelisk finials, strapwork, heraldic shields, and set over all the coloured archievenent of Stuart arms in a carved frame with a cornice and strapwork cresting; pulpit with a sounding board of 1616; many C17 box pews, further C15 pews with carved ends and poppy finials later altered to box pews. Stone tablet with archievment to north chancel wall; 3 futher C18 and 10 C19 monuments; 2 brasses to Bisse family in south aisle of 1606 and 1625. Octagonal lead-lined font, probably C14. Branch dated 1707, futher large C18 branch. C19 wooden plaque to north aisle commemorating 2 charities. Two C17 chairs and an elaborate chest. C19 stained glass to chancel and under tower, east window of south aisle of 1925 though some medieval glass to sub-lights. Peal of 6 bells, earliest 1613i organ dated 1837. (Pevsner N, Buildings of England, North Somerset and Bristol, 1958).

Listing NGR: ST5906544414