Details
SS9146 SELWORTHY CP
SELWORTHY VILLAGE
26/106
Church of All Saints
22.5.69
GV I
Parish church. C14 lower stage of tower, rest Perpendicular, south aisle dated 1538, 1875 restoration revealed wall
paintings now much eroded. Roughcast over rubble, Ham stone dressings, slate roofs, coped verges. West tower, 4-bay
nave, north and south aisles, south porch, chancel. Crenellated 2-stage unbuttressed tower, moulded plinth, square
north-east stair turret, 2-light louvred bell openings, C19 2-light west window, no west door; 3-light windows to west
ends of aisles, crenellated and buttressed south aisle, 3-light window left of 2-storey diagonally butressed porch,
2-light window above moulded, pointed arch opening with decorated panelled jambs and soffit, remains of holy water
stoop beside depressed 4-centred arch door with C16 studded door; two 2 X 4-light windows to right, similar at east end
of aisle, 4-centred arch priests door, 3-light east widnow, 2 x 4 light window east end of north aisle, four 3-light
windows with rood stair projection between first and second bays. Interior: rendered, remains of painted wall
deocration, exposed quoins to openings. Perpendicular arcade of clustered columns with vine leaf capitals, respond at
south-west end dated 1538. No chancel arch, corbelled beam inserted, pointed chancel arch chamfered in 2 orders. C19
wagon roof to chancel, ceiled wagon roof to nave with fine bosses and wall plate, south aisle very fine wagon roof with
moulded ribs and bosses, triple frieze wall plate with angels, north aisle open wagon roof with bosses carved in 1890
by local woodworking class. Openings to roodstair in north aisle. Statue niches and piscina in east wall. West end oak
panelled gallery added c1750. Squire's pew in the form of ogee headed oriel to parvise with slender wooden column and
panelling, 1804, 4-centred arch head doorway to stairs right. Pulpit of reset medieval panelling with C17-C18 sounding
board and hour glass. Stained glass; fragments of medieval glass in east window of north aisle, windows by Sir Ninian
Comper and Clayton and Bell. Norman font with tall C19 cover and pulley. C18 baluster turned communion rails from a
church in north Devon. Organ inserted 1983 from St Clements Church, Ipswich. Reredos by Philip Burgess of West Porlock,
1900. Metal bound C16 parish chest. Good collection of monuments including marble pair by Sir Francis Chantrey to
Charles Baldwyn and Charles Richard Dyke Acland died 1837 and 1828, slate and marble wall tablets to William Blackford,
died 1730, and to Charles Stayninq, died 1700; and collection of brasses including one to Guilmi Fleete died 1617. One
of the finest churches in the county. (Photographs in NMR; Pevsner, Buildings of England, South and West Somerset,
1958).
Listing NGR: SS9198446806
