Description

HOW HILL, Twerton
656-1/0/0 (South side)

Church of St Michael and All Angels
12/06/50

GV II*

Anglican parish church. C15 tower, remainder of church rebuilt in Perpendicular detail in 1839. By GP Manners, rebuilt again to designs of EW Buckle, 1885-1886, at cost of £2600, but incorporating C12 North doorway.
MATERIALS: Limestone ashlar or squared and coursed stone, slate or lead roofs.
PLAN: Nave, N and S aisles, N porch, organ chamber and vestry flanking chancel, W tower.
EXTERIOR: Tower in three stages, with plinth, stepped diagonal buttresses, NE stair turret, crenellated parapet and corner pinnacles. Bell stage has small two-light Perpendicular windows, on N and S sides with stone louvres. W front also has three-light C19 window with drip-mould carried across as string, and plank doors in moulded arch. S aisle, with low-pitched lead roof, has continuous ashlar crenellated parapet above four three-light windows separated by deep two-stage buttresses carried through to diagonal pinnacles, with diagonal corner buttresses to square pinnacles, and four-light W window. Two lead downpipes with hopperheads dated 1885. Slate roofed nave has coped gable with terminal stone cross, and lower chancel roof sweeps down to original vestry, and large ashlar stack with paired octagonal shafts, and C20 extension. Chancel has two-light window and crenellated parapet but coped E gable with terminal cross, and corner pinnacle with decorative capping. E end has five-light window, and returns as on S side. N aisle similar to S, but with deep porch in first bay, with high crenellated gable and returns, and wide pointed doorway. Inner doorway Norman, left jamb having spiral column, and right chevron pattern, with chevron arch, to C19 plank door. Between aisle and organ chamber prominent octagonal pinnacle.
INTERIOR: Four-bay arcades have columns in four rolls and four hollows to broad pointed arches, with eight-bay arched-braced roof on brattished plates. Aisle roofs are panelled and boarded. Tower arch has very broad wave and hollow mouldings carried right round, and SE buttress appears in part inside nave. Walls are plastered and floors are stone slab, with wood block under pewed areas. Carpeted chancel rises on series of single steps, and has flat panelled barrel roof, arch to organ loft has timber screen.
FITTINGS: Almost complete set of pews with fine C19 carved bench ends, possibly those of rebuilding. Chancel also has fine carved stalls, and marble reredos with delicate high relief of Last Supper under bold decorative ogee arches. Adjacent oak panelling incorporates large carved angel each side, and stone sedilia and piscina. Pulpit also incorporates three carved figures, and carved oak lectern, fittings are probably late C19 or early C20. Font, at W end, C19 stone octagon.
GLASS: Main E window has stained glass, but most windows in plain glass, except for two memorial figures in N aisle. C19 glass was mainly destroyed by blast during Second World War.
MEMORIALS: There are various memorials from the earlier fabric, built into the walls; several of these are simple square tablets of the C18, but to the S of the tower arch is an elliptical baroque white marbled wreath enclosing a black slate tablet with naive carved verses, to T H, died 1681. In the tower are further tablets, mainly early to mid C19. This is a very complete version of a late mediaeval church created in the C19, both before the main thrust of Tractarianism and Ecclesiology had made their mark, and again after they had spent their main force. The complete fittings are especially remarkable.
SOURCES: (The Buildings of England: Pevsner N: North Somerset and Bristol: London: 1958-: 272; ).

Listing NGR: ST7239364721

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Church of St Michael and All Angels at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q17532741

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.

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