Details
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ST5222
10/44
8/44
ILCHESTER CP
CHURCH STREET (East street)
Church of St. Mary Major
(Formerly listed as Church of St Mary)
19.4.61
GV
II*
Anglican Parish Church; C13 and later, south aisle added 1879-80. Local lias stone cut and squared, Ham stone ashlar and dressings; Welsh slate roofs between coped gables, ornamental clay tile ridges to nave and side aisle, plain clay tiles over stone slate base courses to chancel; flat roof to north chapel. Four-cell plan of two-bay chancel, three-bay nave and south aisle, and single-bay north chapel, with west tower.
Chancel C13, possibly earlier; plain, rendered on south side, east window plate tracery of three semi-circular arched lights with quatrefoils over in chamfered semi-circular arched recess with label; south side has a C19 buttress, a three-light flat arched hollow recessed window, and to right a simple doorway dated 1672, which may be date of all side chancel windows; to north two similar windows, one of three-lights, the other five-light with a four-centred sub arch with quatrefoil tracery and foliage carved spandrils.
North chapel has angled corner buttresses, and one to north wall, which has simple C17 and C18 doorway and a five-light window in shallower recess with uncarved spandrils; in east wall a three-light window in a four-centred arched hollowed recess, which may be C15, and could represent the re-use of a nave window, as two similar windows exist in north wall of nave, divided by a buttress. The south aisle 1879-80; plinth, eaves course, angled corner and bay buttresses; south wall windows copies of the north wall nave windows; the east and west windows more elaborate four-light Geometric style tracery in pointed arches with labels.
Tower of three stages, possibly C13 throughout: corner buttresses to low first stage, which is broached at head, forming octagonal tower to upper stages; string courses, plain shallow parapet with moulded coping; west door two orders chamfered pointed arched, label shaved off; second stage has clockface and slim lancet on west face only; third stage has slim lancets to all principal faces, fitted with wood baffles, and also a small rectangular window in north face. Inside, the porch in the under-tower space has moulded rib and panel ceiling, possibly C15, and stairs in north-east angle; inner arch also of two chamfered orders, with inner order on corbelled bell capitals; traces of colour decoration on outer arch; in south wall are set two C13/C14 fragments of memorial crosses.
Chancel has fine rere-arch with headstop label and stiff-leaf capped sideshafts to east window, and chamfered reveals to side windows, C19 arch-braced truss roof; chancel arch probably C13, with squint on north side. Nave has C19 roof, unplastered walls, and a C13-style colonnade based relic in churchyard (q.v), and C15 panelled arch into the side chapel; pointed arched niche, and also former doorway into belfry on west wall. North chapel rendered, with C20 boarded roof but with springers for what may have been two-bay fan vault; canopies in north-east and south-east corners, the latter with a statue recess in the south wall. Fitting include fragments of C17 dado panelling and a C17 chair in chancel; a fine octagonal timber pulpit which could be very late C16 rather than Jacobean, although the panel arches are treated in perspective; remaining work mostly C19. Fragments of medieval stained glass in chapel.
Memorials include alabaster and lias stone tablet to Mary Raymond, died 1639; a lias stone plaque, nicely incised, to Eleanor Clement, died 1748, these both in chancel; and tablet to William Raymond, died 1625, by the pulpit. Traces of C13 wall painting on nave north wall.
The major of two surviving churches in the town, which had at least eight in medieval times, it was in the patronage of Muchelney Abbey until 1239, apparently the first record.
(VCH, Vol III, 1974); Pevsner, N, Buildings of England, South and West Somerset, 1958).
Listing NGR: ST5225522613
