Church Of St Mary

Description

This information is taken from the statutory List as it was in 2001 and may not be up to date.

SEAVINGTON ST MARY CP CHURCH LANE (East side) ST41SW 5/66 Church of St Mary 4.2.58

GV II*

Former Anglican parish church, now vested in the Redundant Churches Fund. C13 origins, mostly late C15 or early 16; restored 1880/82. Ham stone roughly cut and squared, ashlar dressings; Welsh slate roofs with stone slate base courses to nave, between stepped coped gables with cross finials; the nave east gable set very high, suggesting former thatch.

Two-cell plan of 2-bay chancel and 4-bay nave, with south porch and west tower. Chancel has high chamfered plinth and eaves course; east window a 3-light 4-centre-arched of c1500, set in hollowed reces with shaped label over; on south side 2 pairs plain lancets, the north side blank and rendered. Nave partly rendered on north side, with 2 bay and a west corner-buttress, probably C19, and two 2-light C15 style windows in hollowed pointed-arched recesses under labels, also probably C19: south side has similar 3-light windows on either side of porch, and to east a C13 late plate-traceried 2-light window without label. South porch plain, with chamfered pointed arches to outer and inner doorways, the inner having crude label and statue bracket over, bench seats along sides. Tower of 3 stages, probably early and late C16: deep plinth, angled corner buttress to lowest stage only; string courses, the upper with gargoyles at corners, low battlemented parapet; hexagonal-plan stair turret in north-east corner, taller than remainder of tower: west doorway simple, semi-circular arched without label, and above it a 3-light late C15 window in pointed-arched recess with headstop label; to second stage single rectangular bellchamber windows on west and south sides, and to third stage 2-light windows with 4-centre-arched lights set in hollowed rectangular recesses on 3 sides, with single-light window to match on north face, all filled with pierced stone baffles. Interior had plaster stripped and fittings removed in March 1986 pending runner repairs and restoration. Chancel has C19 rib and board ceiling; aumbry recess with trefoil head in north wall and C17 segmental-arched recess with fluted side pilasters in east wall. Small C14 chancel arch, double chamfered without capitals, with squint to south side and pointed-arched recess on north nave side; walls have distinct batter, and the arches to the north windows are framed in brickwork: tower arch almost triangular, with single shaft and hollows; nave ceiling formerly a 3-centre arched barrel vault, but former moulded ribs for panelled ceiling exposed by removal of ceiling, timber cornices. Simple circular tub font, possibly C12; early C19 commandment boards in under-tower space. The church was galleried by 1816, but no traces now remain. (VCH, Vol III, 1974).

Listing NGR: ST4028814920

Content

This is part of the Series: IOE01/1571 IOE Records taken by Michael Perry; within the Collection: IOE01 Images Of England

Rights

© Mr Michael Perry. Source: Historic England Archive

This photograph was taken for the Images of England project