Church of St Andrew

Details

ST21SE WHITESTAUNTON CP WHITESTAUNTON VILLAGE

5/136 Church of St Andrew

4.2.58

GV I Parish church. C13 in origin, late C14 nave and porch, late C15 refenestrated and north and south chapels added, early C16 tower and chancel arch rebuilt, late C16 south chapel widened and west door added, l882-3 church restored, chancel refenestrated, 1913 minor restoration. Squared and coursed limestone, Ham stone dressings, moulded plinth, slate roofs, decorative ridge tiles, coped verges. West tower, south-east stair turret, 3-bay aisles nave, south porch, chancel with north and south transept chapels. Crenellated 3-stage diagonally buttressed tower, gargoules and string course, 2-light trefoil- headed bell-openings, continuous hoodmould to 4-light west window resting on rectangular continuous hoodmould of Tudor-arch head west door, C19 double doors: on south face below bell-opening small trefoil headed lancet set to right; polyonal crenellated stair turret rising above tower. South face: 3-light cinquefoil-headed windows with hoodmould similar to other nave windows, flanking single storey gabled porch diagonal buttresses, continuous hoodmould to moulded arch opening, trefoil-headed niche above with C19 statue, sundial set on apex of gable, no dire visible, lancets on returns, double moulded arch inner doorway, C19 door; diagonally buttressed chapel, west gable end extended south to include ogee headed doorway, south front two 2-light windows, 3-light window without cuspinj at east end of chapel, buttressed chancel with 2-light windows north and south, 3-light east window, north chapel 2-light window east front, north front 2-light windows flanking blocked Tudor arch head doorway with low walls moulded stone coping and curious turned finials; rood stair turret at junction with north wall of nave, 3-light windows flanking blocked moulded arch entrance with hoodmould and terminals, stepped buttress, Interior. roughcast, Perpendicular chancel arch with panelled jambs; moulded arch opening to south chapel with hagioscope in chancel wall, stone screen to north chapel, two 2-light unglazed cinquefoil headed openings with ferramenta flaking doorway opening with renewed head; Perpendicular tower arch: chamfered depressed ages head to stair turret. C19 roofs: Chancel barrel vault boarded with bosses over the sancturary, plastered barrel vault to south chapel, pitched roof to north chapel with coved iii stone Nalljlate; ceiling of tower removed. Chamfered Tudor-arch head opening to rood stair, stone stair in-situ with rectangular loft opening; renewed early C16 rood screen of 2:1:2 bays. Piscina in chancel. C12 circular font with ribbed base, font cover cl966, Slate floor slab in north chapel to Alexander Brett, died 1671, South chapel; blocked doorway in south west corner. Chest tomb possibly to John Brett, died 1588, set in corner against south wall of chancel, Ham stone, flat topped with vineleaf carved cornice, 3 quatrefoil panels on south front with coats of iris, Perpendicular style chest tomb set against south wall of chapel with coats of arms of Isaac Brett (ll) died 1790, and his namesake died 1837. Collection of hatchments in cancel and south chapel to members of the Elton and Brett families, some dated. Memorials in nave: to George Stone, died 1762; slate slabs to William Meachen died 1724, and Thomas Parris died 1639. Arts and Crafts style beaten copper wall tablet to Charles Isaac Elton, died 1900 and his wife, died 1914. The Ten Commandments and Creed painted on 2 boards. Stained glass in east window dated 1874, presumably retrospectively. Bells:(i) 1695 and (ii) 1696 by Thomas Pudue, (iii) early C16 Thomas Jefferies, (iv) cl380 Salisbury foundary (v) T. Pike of Bridgwater, The will of John Brett, died l588, left money to enlarge the south chapel, The Brett and Elton families resided iuccessive[y at Whitestaunton Manor (q.v.). (Kelly's Directory 1914; VCH,, Vol IV, 1978).

Listing NGR: ST2806210492

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

433246

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Page, W, The Victoria History of the County of Somerset, (1978)
Kelly's Directory in Kelly's Directory, (1914)

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.