Church of St Mary
CHURCH OF ST MARY, FORE STREET
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- I
- List Entry Number:
- 1058924
- Date first listed:
- 29-Mar-1963
- List Entry Name:
- Church of St Mary
- Statutory Address:
- CHURCH OF ST MARY, FORE STREET
Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2002-12-18
- Reference:
- IOE01/09407/10
- Rights:
- © Mr Michael Perry. Source: Historic England Archive
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- I
- List Entry Number:
- 1058924
- Date first listed:
- 29-Mar-1963
- Date of most recent amendment:
- 09-Jan-1987
- List Entry Name:
- Church of St Mary
- Statutory Address 1:
- CHURCH OF ST MARY, FORE STREET
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- CHURCH OF ST MARY, FORE STREET
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Somerset (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- North Petherton
- National Grid Reference:
- ST 29028 33021
Details
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
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 269339
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Sources
Books and journals
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: South and West Somerset, (1958)
Page, W, The Victoria History of the County of Somerset, (1906)
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 28-Jun-2026 at 16:14:52.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
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