Church of St Barnabas

Details

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ST5924
8/95

QUEEN CAMEL CP
HIGH STREET (East side)
Church of St Barnabas

24.3.61

GV
I

Anglican parish church. C14 and early C15, some restoration 1887, possibly by J L Pearson. Grey lias stone cut and squared, Ham stone dressings; plain clay tile roof to chancel, stepped coped east gable; elsewhere sheet lead parapets. with gable behind parapet nave east end. Four-cell plan: two-bay chancel, four-bay nave and side aisles; with north-east organ chamber and vestry, south portico and west tower. Chancel has plinth, eaves course with gargoyles, angled corner buttresses; east window tall three-light C15 tracery and transome, headstop label, small statue in recess over: matching windows in north and south walls, moulded pointed arched doorway between, to south; organ chamber has similar north window, possibly a reuse, and small cusped lancet to east; small stair turret in north-east corner with stepped stone roof and crocketed finial.

North aisle has plinth, eaves string, plain parapet, bay buttresses: four-light flat arched windows with square labels, but to west a two-light C14 pattern with arched curl-stop label. South aisle similar, but with larger west window, and two-light window to south-east bay, possibly C19, next to this last a simple arched doorway set in open Tuscan portico with full plain entablature and pediment, probably late C18; east window a four-light flat arched window in moulded recces. Nave seen as clerestory with parapet, sundial on south, three-light windows of c1400 in shallow recesses without labels.

Tower tall, five stages; double plinth, string courses, corner gargoyles and battlemented parapet, pairs corner buttresses to full height, ending in pinnacles; full height octagonal stair turret with slit windows to north-west: moulded pointed arched west doorway under arched label; above three-light C15 window in hollow chamfered recess, protruding into stage two, string serving as label; statue by Charles Hopkins 1971, in canopied niche, west face stage two in stage three a two-light window to match that below; to stage four a clockface to west and single cusped light to east; stage five has two-light windows each face. Much medieval work inside.

Chancel has late C15 moulded rib and panel roof, exposed rafters, variety of bosses, carved wallplate and angel corbels; headstop label to east window: wide panelled C15 chancel arch with late C15 traceried oak screen; C15 canopied sedilia and piscina. Nave raised c1400: arcades earlier, with octagonal bell-cap columns, differences between north and south, west bays shorter span; carved and traceried kingpost roof with drops on corbel brackets, moulded purlins and sub-pinnacles with bosses; side aisles low pitch roofs matching; tall wave-mould tower arch with corbels, and flashing table of earlier roof; former east window to north aisle remains, unglazed.

C19 chancel fittings may be by Pearson; nave and aisle pews incorporate C15 bench ends; late C15 timber pulpit with moulding ogen canopies to statues, foliated, top mould, panelled base shaft; carved wood eagle lectern donated 1889; font c1400, octagonal with double quatrefoil panels, panelled underbowl and shaft, and panelled supports with canopied figures set across corners; portions of C17 pew used as screen to north aisle, and in this aisle a framed Italian brocade.

Monuments include a C14 cusped tomb niche in south aisle, and nearby black and white marble plaque to Humphry Mildmay, died 1690 with Corintian dressings and cartouche of arms; also marble monument to Edith Mildmay died 1772 with Ionic dressings; two hatchments of this family (the lords of the manor, from Hazlegrove House, qv) in tower space. Late C20 glazed porch at west end.

Church associated with Cleeve Abbey, with which there are architectural similarities: first recorded rector 1317.

(P Ralph-Bowman, Unpublished leaflet, 1965;

Moore G, Queen Camel Our Royal Heritage, 1984;

Pevsner, Buildings of England South and West Somerset, 1958).

Listing NGR: ST5974124952

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

431093

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: South and West Somerset, (1958)
Moore, G, Queen Camel Our Royal Heritage, (1984)

End of official list entry

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