Description

ST32SW CURRY MALLET CP LOWER STREET (South side)

3/143 Church of St James

17.4.59

- I

Anglican parish church. C13, Mainly C15, C19 restoration. Coursed and squared lias with Ham stone dressings, slate and
lead-sheeting roofs, coped verges, cruciform finials. Nave, chancel, south aisle, north chapel, north porch, west
tower. Predominantly Perpendicular. Three-stage embattled tower, gargoyles, polygonal stair-turret to the south-east,
embattled capping, sat-back buttresses terminating as uncapped shafts on the third stage, 2-light traceried bell-
chamber windows with stone grilles, single-light window to east on ringing- chamber stage; handsome 4-light transomed
east window, below door opening in a pointed arch moulded surround, paired ribbed and studded doors. North aisle of 3
bays, buttresses, 3-light windows, small doorway with carved heads as label stops, similar carved heads to window
labels, embattled parapet. Small lofty 2 bay north chapel, buttresses, 3 and 4-light windows. Lean-to porch to west of
this chapel, simple moulded outer door opening, elaborate moulding to the inner-doorway, label, ribbed and studded door
with scrolly iron strap hinges, above niche with a later figure; secondary door opening with a cambered head leads into
the chapel, ribbed and studded door; inside of porch on a flagstone floor, stone bench to the west wall, Chancel on
plinth with wide offset, a square-headed 3-light window to the north and the south, pointed-arch west window,
re-traceried C19, label with grotesque heads as stops, possibly C13, above datestone 1786, C13 priest's door to south
with a continuous moulding, ribbed and studded door. Interior plastered on lias flagstones. Chancel under a plastered
wagon roof, plain timber wallplate; nave under similar roof, except the area over the former rood ribbed and panelled
with carved bosses, colouring; north aisle with plastered lean-to roof, moulded ribs with large carved bosses, unceiled
wagon roof to south chapel. Panelled tower, chancel, and south chapel arches. Three bay arcade to north aisle, thick
piers of 4-hollows section. Piscinae to north aisle and nave. North aisle with medieval stone altar, this aisle also
with small recumbant C15 effigy in a niche. Good C15 octagonal font with a blank shield to each face, In south, chapel a
large bracket in the form of an angel, probably resited, Upper and lower entrances to the rood. Much good Jacobean
woodwork including pews, alms box; tower-screen, chapel screen, reader (dated 1633), chancel panellinq, credence table
and altar table. Cl9 altar rails and pulpit. Three good C17 wall monuments with carved figures and colouring,
particularly that to Payne family in south chapel. Further C18, C19, and C20 monuments. Three late C19 stained glass
windows. Wheeled bier dated 1903.

Listing NGR: ST3339020909

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Church of St James, Curry Mallet at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q5117427

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  For the Record
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Hampshire: Winchester and the North (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)