Details
ST 57 NW PORTBURY CHURCH LANE (north side)
2/165 CHURCH OF ST MARY
11.10.61
G.V. I
Parish Church (Anglican). C12; altered and extended early C13, c.1300 and
C14/C15; restored 1870-75. West tower, nave, north and south aisles, south
porch, chancel and chantry chapels. Coursed sandstone rubble with freestone
(oolitic limestone) dressings; C20 tiled roof. West tower is mid C15 of
4 stages with diagonal buttresses, and a plain embattled parapet with pinnacles;
polygonal stair turret projects at south-east, also with an embattled parapet;
2-light bell chamber windows with tracery of quatrefoils in circles; 3-light
west window and west door in moulded surround. North aisle: clasping buttresses;
embattled parapet with blank arcading; three 3-light Perpendicular style windows
with cinquefoil heads and chamfered mullions, all under square dripmoulds and
relieving arches; north door has a chamfered surround with a 4-centred head;
5-light east window of stepped, cusped lights; 3-light cusped, lancet west
window. Chancel: clasping buttresses; projecting north chantry chapels, the
west one has a triple lancet window with chamfered surrounds and the east one is
gabled and has 3-light Perpendicular style windows with cinquefoil ogee heads to
the tracery; east window is 3-lights, geometrical with intersecting tracery,
cusping and daggers; two 3-light, c.1300, Geometric windows on south side, one
with cusped intersecting tracery, dagger tracery and a quatrefoil above, the
other with stepped cusped lancets; priest's door with round arch on small
corbels. South aisle has an embattled parapet with a blank, panelled arcade;
angle buttresses with off-sets; 5-light east window with trefoil heads to
tracery, moulded mullions and 4-centred arch; two 3-light Perpendicular style
windows with cinquefoil heads to tracery and panelled lights above, all under a
square hoodmould. South porch is C15, 2 storeys with an embattled parapet and a
blank, panelled arcade; diagonal buttresses with off-sets, moulded doorcase.
Interior. C12 south door; 2 colonnettes, with scalloped capitals; the arch has
an interlocking key ornament which covers the intrados and
extrados and a chain of lozenges with fleurons; C15 image niche. Nave: 5 bay
arcades of double chamfered arches and piers without capitals, stops at the base
and square stone seats; full length stone seats run along the
north and south aisles; the east respond of the east bay of the north arcade
rests on a coarsely cut head; triple sedilia and piscina in south arcade,
trefoil heads and colonnettes with circular capitals; ogee headed stoup to east
of south door, hollow chamfered with fleurons; rere arches to north arcade
windows and east window of south arcade; large squint from north aisle; C19
roofs on a good collection of 44 carved corbel heads, late C12 in the south aisle,
late C14/C15 in the north aisle and late Ciileanly C12 in the nave; the nave
roof has crown posts. Tower arch is C15 with hollow and wave mouldings.
Chancel arch is c.1300, restored in C19, but it rests on late C12 piers of
5 clustered shafts, the innermost one has a keel moulding, with scalloped
capitals; the bases are 5 feet above the present floor level. Chancel: cusped
rere-arches on corbel heads of east window and eastern window of south wall;
triple sedilia and piscina with trefoil heads, roll moulding with a fillet,
carved head stops, columns with circular capitals; carved corbels for lamps and
lenten veil; restored wagon roof; Eastern chantry chapel has a fine ribbed,
pointed tunnel vault. Pulpit: C19, Perpendicular style wooden, on ashlar base.
Font: C12; square scalloped bowl on circular stem and square base. C14 bench
ends at eastern end of choir stalls; C14, re-used parts of benches in south
aisle. Monuments. North aisle: Thomas Cauldwell, died 1770, incised stone
tablet with round headed surround; brass to Sara Kemish, died 1621, with kneeling
and lying figures of children, C19 stone surround. (N. Pevsner, The Buildings
[of England : North Somerset and Bristol).]
Listing NGR: ST5029275436
