Church of St Michael and All Angels, Compton Martin, Bath and North East Somerset

Description

ST 55 NW COMPTON MARTIN C.P. MAIN STREET (south side)

5/85 Church of St. Michael and All
21.9.60 Angels
G.V.
I

Parish church. C12, late C15 tower and alterations to aisles, chancel repaired
1853 and restored 1901 for Reverend W. Burland. Sandstone rubble with limestone
ashlar at upper levels of aisles and corners of chancel, limestone dressings, lead
roofs with raised coped verges. West tower, nave, north aisle and north porch,
south aisle and south chapel, chancel. Norman style, Perpendicular tower and
alterations to aisles, Decorated style C19 alterations. 4-stage tower has 4-
centred arched West door in moulded surround with carved spandrels, hood mould and
string course above, tall 3-light window above with hood mould, 2nd stage has
image niche with pinnacles, diagonal shaft with crockets above, similar diagonal
shaft to each side; 3rd stage has similar image niche, 4th stage 2-light bell-
opening with stone louvres, image niche and diagonal shaft to each side, south
and north sides have lower string course as to west, 2nd stage north has small
trefoil-headed window of 2-lights with diagonal shaft to each side; octagonal
north stair turret has 4-centred arched door, lancets, diagonal shafts at corners
at 2nd stage, pierced stone parapet; east side of tower above nave roof has
paired string courses with gargoyle to lower string and crocketed diagonal shafts
between, 3rd and 4th stages as to west; plinth, strings between stages, diagonal
weathered buttresses with shafts on lower set offs, possibly formerly for images,
gargoyles at 3rd stage and pinnacled shafts at 4th stage, pinnacles to top, top
string course with gargoyles and pierced stone tracery parapet. 4-bay north
aisle has 3 Cl9 3-light Decorated style windows with hood mould, 2nd bay from right
has gabled porch with pointed arched opening, moulded verges and cross finial.
Nave has 4 clerestorey windows visible above north aisle, round-headed with torus
mouldings, Norman corbel table with zigzag and beading, mask and monster corbels
alternating with beaded corbels, to east under corbel table, a wider zigzag and
beaded corbel, cross finial to nave. South aisle of 4 bays has 3-light
Perpendicular west window with hood mould, three 3-light south windows with hood
moulds, 2nd bay from left has pointed arched door with hood mould and mask stops,
diagonal buttresses and buttresses. South chapel has similar south and east
windows, small pointed arched door to east, plinth, weathered string course,
cornice, parapet and coping. 2-bay chancel has Perpendicular style east window
of 1902, with ogee head and hood mould, quatrefoil above and cross finial, lancet
with cusped trefoil head, hood mould and small mask stops to south, to north,
large weathered buttress, similar lancet with plain hood mould to each side, small
blocked rectangular lancet above and upper door to right with 4-centred arched
chamfered head, with plank and batten door with strap hinges, chamber over chancel
formerly used as pigeon loft. Interior: tower has framed ceiling in 9 panels,
moulded ribs with 4 bosses, on corbels, tall pointed tower arch with panelled
soffit and jambs, cusped ends to panels, hollow-chamfered and wave-moulded
surround. Nave has wagon ceiling with moulded ribs forming 7 bays, with bosses
along moulded ridge purlin, mask corbels under ribs and moulded wall-plate; 4-bay
north arcade of cylindrical columns on plain plinths with circular scalloped
capitals and one-stepped round arches, pier to east has more elaborate moulded
scallops on square capital with chevrons above; 4 round-headed clerestorey lights
above, with segmental rere-arches; 4 bay south arcade has 3 similar columns to
west, 4th column twisted spirally, with flutes flanked by rolls, flanked by
beading, arch to east raised in C15 to Perpendicular style with small jamb-shaft
to west, hollow-chamfered and wave-moulded, only upper section of clerestorey
window above remaining, 3 clerestorey lights to west as on north side but unglazed,
because of raised south aisle roof; wide, moulded segmental arch to chancel, pier
to south has wave-mould to each of 4 sides, shaft-ring and moulded capital, also
serving as springer for chancel vault and south chapel arch, similar engaged pier
to north, brattished wall-plate above chancel arch, 3-light C19 trefoil headed
window above with pointed segmental headed rere-arch. North aisle has pitched
roof of 4 bays, arched-braces, principal and common rafters and one purlin, all
moulded with fine carved bosses, arched-braces rising from stone mask corbels: to
east, a round-arched recess (possibly former Easter sepulchre) with small square
niche to left. North porch has 2-bay roof of C19 with tie-beam, king-post and
struts, pointed arched surround to door, hollow-moulded, with slender jamb shafts,
door with raised fillets and strap hinges. South aisle has roof raised above
Norman corbel table, as on north nave exterior, stonework above south arcade of
rubble with mortices from former aisle roof, dressed masonry above former roof
line, similar mouldings to clerestorey windows; 4-bay C19 roof with tie-beams set
on wall-posts on corbels, braces with pierced carving between tie and principal
rafters, purlin with struts to tie-beam; pointed arched, hollow-moulded surround
to south door, moulded pointed arch to south chapel, engaged pier to south with
2 nave-mouldings. South chapel has roof as in south aisle, 4-centred arch to
chancel, engaged pier to east with wave-mouldings and brattished capital; former
upper window to chancel, blocked, and remains of possible carved figure. Chancel
has 2 stone rib-vaulted quadripartite bays, the transverse arch resting on strong
tripartite shafts, with scalloped capitals with chevrons to south, trefoil tops
with scallops and chevrons to north; arch is square in section with zigzag
decoration to west face; ribs have half-roll profile, flanked by hollows, west
bay has rib to north west rising from corbel with scallop and chevron capital,
4 animal heads in flat relief carved at meeting of 4 ribs; east bay has
2 engaged shafts to east with scallop and chevron capitals as springers for ribs.
Fittings: Norman piscina on plain shaft in chancel, found at Priddy; Norman font
in nave, circular with chip-carved zigzag frieze; carved wooden Perpendicular
style screen to west and north of south chapel; C19 Romanesque stone pulpit in
nave; Russian icon in north aisle; 2 boards in porch recording gifts to the
parish; 2 brass chandeliers in nave. In north aisle, a painted, recumbent
effigy, c.1290, possibly to Thomas de Morton, flatly carved, set in recess with
wide triangular arch with rosettes on hollow moulding; marble tablet with woman
and anchor, to Ann Hoskyns, 1800; marble tablet to John Hoskyns, 1805 by Wood of
Bristol; marble sarcophagus tablet, to Sir John Henniker, 1872, by E. Bingham of
London; C18 stone tablet, inscription obscured. In south aisle a stone tablet
with broken segmental pediment and cherub, to James Millard, 1777. In south
chapel, stone tablet with bolection-moulded surround and scallop shell, dedication
illegible, 1722; ledger stone beneath organ, to George Roynon, 1637. On north
arcade, marble tablet with segmental pediment, to John and Mary Weekes, 1722.
East window has stained glass by Murray of London, 1902. (Sources: Pevsner, N.:
Buildings of England : North Somerset and Bristol. 1958. Selley, A. : Compton
Martin and its Environs, a Corner of Beautiful Somerset. 1923).

Listing NGR: ST5449456984

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