Description

ST23SE NORTH PETHERTON CP FORE STREET (South side)

7/76 Church of St. Mary
(formerly listed as North
Petherton Church)
29.3.63

GV I

Anglican Parish church. Dedicated C12, C15, early C16; alterations 1834-9 by Richard Carver and later C19 restoration.
Random rubble and ashlar, slate and lead sheeting roofs, coped verges and crenellated parapets. Nave, chancel, north
and south aisles continuing east as chapels clasping the chancel, north and south porches, west tower, east sacristy.
Perpendicular. Tower one of the finest in the county; 3-stages, set-back buttresses with 3 tiers of tall pinnacles,
embattled and quatrefoiled parapet, quatrefoiled bands between the stages; west doorway flanked by niches, one with
remains of a figure, quatrefoil frieze above with transomed 4-light window over, tracery also below the transom. On the
north and south sides of the bottom stage further statuettes in niches; second stage with 3-light transomed windows
with Somerset tracery; third stage with lavish bell openings, Somerset tracery, traceried panelling above; low stair
turret to south. All windows large with pointed arch heads, 3 and 4-lights; clerestory to nave with 3-light windows;
single storey sacristy. Inside of porch with corbels carved as angels. Scraped interior under panelled roofs, tower
with fan vault; some corbels carved as angels. Five bay arcades, with piers of 4-hollows section, circular capitals to
the shafts; studded with small rosettes. Lofty panelled tower arch and west arches to the chancel chapels of the same
type; arches between chapels and chancel have as east responds the busts of angels. Perpendicular pulpit, C14 font, the
former with fine traceried panels. Balcony gallery opening to south aisle from upper floor of the porch, dated 1623
with figure of Father Time. Two carved bench ends in nave dated 1596 and 1629. Carved door to sacristy. Carved
sculpture, known as Samson, over tower clock, originally carried pulpit. Brass to nave floor to Katherine Morley obit.
1652; matrices of 2 further medieval brasses remain. Fine screen of 1909 in Perpendicular style. Some C19 stained
glass; window by Kempe; 2 C20 windows by Sir Henry Holiday (Pevsner N., Buildings of England, South and West Somerset,
1958; VCH forthcoming).

Listing NGR: ST2902833021

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Church of St Mary, North Petherton at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q5117530

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

• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Georgian Style and Design for Contemporary Living
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)