Details
ST32SE ISLE ABBOTS CP CHURCH STREET (East side)
4/19 Church of St. Mary the Virgin
17.4.59
GV I
Anglican parish church. C13, C14, C15, C16; C19 restoration. Coursed and squared blue and white lias, Ham stone
dressings, slate roofs to coped verges, finial, stone ridge tiles to chancel. Nave, chancel, north aisle, south porch,
west tower. Decorated and Perpendicular styles. Outstanding tower of 4 stages; embattled parapet pierced by
quatrefoiis, the serlons pierced with lancet openings; stair-turret to north; very large corner pinnacles with attached
secondary pinnacles, intermediate pinnacles to each side, gargoyles; corner buttresses with a shaft in their vise
terminating at bell-chamber stage as big pinnacles; paired traceried bell-chamber openings with quatrefoil interlace,
flanking pinnacles, similar single-light openings to ringing-chamber stage; crocketted niches to each face of tower
with surviving medieval figures, to West the Risen Christ stepping from His sarcophagus, the Blessed Virgin with
Bambino, St Peter and St Paul; to south St George, St Catherine, St Margaret; to east St John Baptist, St Clement; to
north St Michael; 4-light transomed east window, elaborately moulded east doorway, paired ribbed and studded plank
doors, flanking canopied niches, figures missing. Nave of 3 bays, a 3-light stepped lancet window and a 2-light foiled
window to south. Large south porch, pointed arch inner and outer doorways of 2 simple chamfered orders, pierced
embattled parapet, gargoyles, buttresses, good outer C17 dog gates, inside benched on flagstone floor, foiled niche for
figure, slighted remains of a stoup, fine fan-vault with a square central pendant, ribbed and studded inner door with
scrolly iron strap hinges, early lock. Four bay C16 north aisle, pierced-embattled parapet, gargoyles, pinnacles,
buttresses, 4-light windows with depressed-arch heads, rich tracery, narrow north doorway to third bay from east. Two
bay chancel, triple-lancet windows with plate tracery, above 2 quatrefoils and a septfoil, additional C16/C17 two-light
square-headed window added to south, broad 5-light east window of simple stepped lancets, large buttresses with stepped
offsets; rood-stair turret. Plastered interior on flagstone floors, 2 C17 memorials to chancel floor. Nave under ribbed
keel-shaped roof with ribs and coloured bosses, chancel under wagon roof with exposed ribs, aisle with good panelled
roof, carved bosses, stout timber floor to the ringing chamber. Four bay arcade to north aisle, piers of 4-clustered
shafts with continuous foliate caps, 4-centred arches lofty panelled chancel arch; fairly simple tower arch of 2
moulded orders. Moulded doorway to tower stair-turret, ribbed and studded door. Norman font with square bowl on a large
central shaft with 4 smaller flanking shafts, bowl carved with dragon figures and a dove, ]acobean tester; further
Jacobean work in the form of a tower screen with turned balusters and 2 chairs. Late C17/early C18 pulpit. Upper and
lower entrances to the former rood loft, with stairs. Hagioscope. C15 rood screen, square-headed panels with simple
tracery, paired central doors, cornice surviving to east; much remains of the original painted decoration. Little
carved figures against the wall plate over the roof-loft stairway, with fretwork running between them indicating the
width or the musicians gallery. Good 3 seat sedilia of a c1300, the back with cusped arches on slender columns,
round-backed seats with arcading, also very noteworthy the piscina with flanking arcading of blank niches. Jacobean
altar table, adjacent to the altar a medieval sacphagus. Set of C15 pews with carved traceried bench ends. Small
medieval chest. Small cased Cl9 organ. Remains of Royal Arms under tower. Brass memorial to the Fallen of the Great
War. Fragments of medieval stained glass to chancel; remains of small glazed tile to chancel floor, thought to be from
Muchalney Abbey. There are five bells, 2 of pre-Reformation date end 3 of the C17, one cast in Bristol and one in
Taunton
Listing NGR: ST3526520948
