Parish Church of Saint Mary

Parish Church of Saint Mary

This is a parish church built in rubble stone with slate roofs and coped gables. It comprises a nave with a south porch and south transept, a chancel, a north aisle, and a massive northeast tower. The west porch dates to 1926, and the south porch was extended out to the street in 1937. All windows are late 19th-century replacements in Bath stone.

The west end features a plate-traceried 2-light window with a trefoil in the head and stone voussoirs, positioned above the large 1926 porch. The 1926 west porch has a coped gable, high plinth, and double doors in a pointed wide arch constructed in grey Forest of Dean stone, with a flat-headed window above featuring a hoodmould and three pointed lights. Pointed windows flank each side. Stone seats are provided within, and there is a stained glass 3-light window depicting the Annunciation, dating to around 1930. The inner doorway of 1890 has double doors within an ashlar pointed surround with column shafts.

A straight joint marks the division between the nave and the narrower, lower north aisle. The aisle is built of red sandstone rubble in contrast to the grey limestone used generally elsewhere. It has a similar west plate-traceried 2-light with a quatrefoil in the head and stone voussoirs. The north side displays three widely spaced 19th-century chamfered lancets, with the rightmost showing signs of replacing an earlier window. The wall-head has been raised in the 19th century. A blocked centre door is visible, with a straight joint to its left leading to the tower.

The tower is exceptionally large, constructed of squared grey stone and rising in five stages with a slight batter and corbelled embattled cornice. A northwest stair tower projects slightly on the west side and is flush on the north, where it has four louvred loops. Openings throughout feature stone voussoirs and stone louvres. Two-light bell-openings on each side have cambered heads to the lights. The west side has a pointed window beneath the bell-light and an opening below, above the north aisle roof ridge. A narrow pointed loop appears on the north side at the same level, below which is a square-headed louvred opening and at ground floor a recessed pointed window with a small inserted door to the tower stair. The east side of the tower rises through five storeys: a 2-light segmental pointed window at ground floor with segmental-pointed lights, a single pointed light above, a loop at the third stage, a pointed opening, and then the paired bell lights. At the left of the ground floor is a large half-arch against the chancel north, which was constructed to allow access to an existing chancel north door, now blocked. Marks of a lean-to building remain in the angle to the chancel.

The chancel has a lower roof than the nave. A short, high length of north wall to the left of the tower shows signs of a low blocked opening. A large 1907 5-light east window features roll-mouldings to two main 2-light divisions and a top roundel, with a hoodmould above.

The south side of the church is obscured by buildings on Main Street. The nave south has a centre 19th-century 2-light with a quatrefoil roundel, and another 19th-century 2-light set high, just east of the south porch. East of the porch is the south transept with a 19th-century 3-light stepped lancet south window. The chancel south wall is mostly 19th-century with three long 2-light windows.

The south porch was extended out to Main Street in 1937 with a stone gable, a pointed door between lancets, and a narrow niche above. This replaced an early 19th-century one-bay building with a door recessed in an arch and a window above, possibly dating to 1822, as indicated by a plaque within.

Interior

The interior has plastered walls and a north arcade of four pointed arches on chamfered square piers. The north aisle has a pointed barrel vault. A 19th-century rafter roof spans the nave with arch braces forming 11 bays. The south transept and chancel have ashlar arches, both double-chamfered with no capitals. The south transept has a 19th-century rafter roof. The third window in the north aisle is set within a blocked pointed opening of a lost transept. At the east end of the north aisle is a deep chamfered pointed tower arch. The tower has a vaulted ground floor with thick square ribs (similar to those at Monkton Old Hall) forming an octagonal vault with an octagonal centre opening.

The chancel has a 19th-century pointed boarded ceiling with transverse ribs. A quarter-round stone corbel table runs along the south and north walls to the right of the tower. The north wall to the left has lower corbels carrying a wall-thickening for the tower, over a pointed triple-chamfered low tower arch. A blocked rood loft door appears to the left of the tower arch, and a blocked external north door to the right. The south wall contains a small pointed piscina and a deep recess above. A 13th-century arched south door features two continuous roll-moulds and a hood (similar to the door at Monkton Priory). Above is a damaged, possibly 13th-century, niche with a 17th-century tablet commemorating Andros Anderson Marcer from Switzerland, who died in 1622. A stone curved vault and stone benches are present. The porch extension has a roof dating to 1937. A wall plaque of 1937 appears on the west wall, alongside a plaque of 1822 inscribed 'James Hird / Rich Ormond / Church / wardens / WB Fech'. The east wall has a pointed door to the space between the church and Clock House.

Fittings

The church contains a 12th-century square font, scalloped with darts, sloped in to a rope moulding at the top of a round shaft. A large reredos of 1893 by Pearson, constructed in Bath stone and carved by N. Hitch, dominates the chancel. It features Christ with Evangelist symbols and angels in a large canopied centre panel, with musician angels in two banks of two on each side, all under canopies copied from 15th-century canopies on the Adams memorial. Stone side panelling with ogee crocketted heads completes the design. An altar of 1940 has a marble shelf and a low oak back dating to around 1920. The pulpit, made in 1880 by Pearson, features blind tracery and angle crocketted piers. Ornate stalls by K. McAlpin, dating to 1909, have ends carved with lily and rose designs, fronts with ringed shafts, leaf cusps, lilies, and roses. Pitch pine pews by Pearson line the nave. An inner west porch was added in 1992 by P.M. Bartosch. The south transept has a Gothic oak reredos and altar of 1946 with matching dado panelling. The north aisle contains an altar and reredos of around 1932 with a matching door to the tower. Timber Gothic altar rails date to 1937. An organ by Conacher, dating to 1890, is housed in a Gothic case. Chancel tiles from 1884 are now carpeted over. In the sanctuary is a carved chair with a panel of St Peter, possibly reused continental work.

Stained Glass

Two west windows from 1879, depicting the four Evangelists, were created by Clayton & Bell. The east window, made in 1907 by Kempe & Co, shows the Crucifixion and four saints. Additional windows by Kempe & Co include: the chancel south right (1918) and centre (around 1918); the nave south left (1916) and right (1910); and three north aisle windows (1909). Patterned glass in the chancel south dates to around 1879. The south transept south window was made in 1908.

Monuments

Adjoining the chancel arch are fragments of a late medieval alabaster relief, which was converted in 1607 into a monument to the Adams family of Paterchurch. This monument was itself later dismantled. In front stands a damaged Bath stone pedestal with a stepped top, commemorating Roger Adames, who died in 1707. On the wall to the left is a slate neo-Grec plaque to W. H. Adams, died 1833, and a stone to Robert Seafort, died 1630. A chancel north memorial to Edward Byam of Antigua, died 1768, takes the form of a wreathed oval. A fine Bath stone plaque commemorates R. and J. Meyricke, children who died in 1606; it is small, flanked by half figures with Ionic capitals, beneath a large cartouche. Above it is a 17th-century plaque to W. Goodacre, featuring a cartouche, cherub heads, and a winged skull. The chancel south wall contains a memorial to Brigadier-General Sir F. Meyrick, died 1932, with carved arms, designed by Herbert Allen, artist of Tenby, and a 2nd lieutenant W George memorial in oval alabaster with wreath, killed in 1918. The north aisle north wall has a plaque to John Gwyther, died 1737, with winged cherubs and skull; a marble plaque to Lt Col S. Ferrior, killed at Waterloo in 1815, by Reeves of Bath. The north aisle east contains a memorial to Lt Gen Alexander Adams, died 1834, in neo-Grec style with banner, by R. Westmacott Jr, and a plaque to Charlotte Adams, died 1814, with torches, by Harris of Dublin. In the south transept is a fine memorial to Francis Parry, Mayor, died 1688, a brass in a painted stone frame with broken pediment, cherubs, and an hourglass. The nave south contains a brass to W. Hulm JP, died 1886, by Mayer & Co; a later 20th-century oval plaque to R D R Davies; a granite plaque to Lt R. Treweeks RN, killed in 1915; and a War Memorial plaque in an alabaster frame.