War Memorial Lych Gate

Entrance to former Church of St Mary, Charlynch, Spaxton, Somerset, TA5 1BL

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Overview

A churchyard lych gate, erected c1945.
Heritage Category:
Listed building
List Entry Number:
1438247
Date first listed:
18-Oct-2016
Statutory Address:
Entrance to former Church of St Mary, Charlynch, Spaxton, Somerset, TA5 1BL

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:
Listed building
List Entry Number:
1438247
Date first listed:
18-Oct-2016
Statutory Address 1:
Entrance to former Church of St Mary, Charlynch, Spaxton, Somerset, TA5 1BL

Location

Statutory Address:
Entrance to former Church of St Mary, Charlynch, Spaxton, Somerset, TA5 1BL

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:
Somerset (Unitary Authority)
Parish:
Spaxton
National Grid Reference:
ST2381837799

Summary

A churchyard lych gate, erected c1945.

Reasons for Designation

The memorial lych gate in Charlynch is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impact of world events on the local community during the Second World War;
* Architectural interest: as an accomplished and well-realised memorial which takes the form of a churchyard lych gate;
* Group value: with the Church of St Mary which is listed at Grade I.

History

The lych gate at the entrance to St Mary’s Church in Charlynch was erected in 1945 in thanksgiving for the end of the Second World War. The church itself closed and was deconsecrated in the late C20.

Details

A churchyard lych gate, erected c1945.

MATERIALS: timber-frame construction with a plain tiled roof and stone rubble flank walls to its lower body.

DESCRIPTION: the lych gate is situated to the SW of the former Church of St Mary (closed in 1981). The timber superstructure has square corner uprights which rest on the stone flank walls. The W and E gabled ends are similar, with arched braces to the corner posts which support slender tie beams. The roof comprises king post trusses, angled struts and queen posts. The tie beam to the W gabled end has the inscription 1939 ERECTED BY THE PARISH AS A THANKSGIVING 1945, and the eastern tie beam is inscribed HE BROUGHT THEM OUT SAFELY. There is a pair of low wooden gates to the W gabled end, and there are freestanding wooden benches inside the lych gate.


This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Online. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 23 November 2017.

Sources

Websites
The Somerset Historic Environment Record. 17654: War memorial lych gate, Church of St Mary, Charlynch, accessed 1 August 2016 from http://www.somersetheritage.org.uk/record/10177#
War Memorials Register, accessed 16 June 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/46321
War Memorials Online, accessed 23 November 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/253798

Legal

The listed building(s) is/are shown coloured blue on the attached map. Pursuant to s.1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’), structures attached to or within the curtilage of the listed building (save those coloured blue on the map) are not to be treated as part of the listed building for the purposes of the Act.

Ordnance survey map of War Memorial Lych Gate

Map

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 05-Jun-2026 at 06:56:15.

Download a full scale map (PDF)
© Crown copyright [and database rights] 2026. OS AC0000815036. Use of this mapping is subject to Terms and Conditions.

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.

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