Church of St Mary Stogumber, England

Text courtesy of Historic England. © Crown Copyright, reprinted under the Open Government License.

ST0937 STOGUMBER CP HIGH STREET (South side)

11/163 Church of St Mary

22.5.69

GV I

Parish church. Late C13-early C14 lower stages of tower and West bay South aisle, rest C15, restored 1873-5 by J D Sedding. Red sandstone random rubble, squared and coursed on North face of tower, Ham stone dressings, slate roofs, coped verges. Chancel, 5 bay nave, 7 bay North aisle, 3 bay South chapel, Southwest tower, North and South porches. 3 stage crenellated tower, diagonal stepped buttresses, gargoyles, quoins on North face, square stair turret on West front at junction with nave, 2-light mullioned and transomed bell openings, lancet, 2-light South window; to right single storey crenellated South porch, moulded plinth, diagonal stepped buttresses rising to string course with grotesque oversized gargoyles, moulded arched opening, 4 panel moulded compartment ceiling, chamfered inner doorway with Victorian door; to right 3-light cinquefoil headed mullioned window, projecting organ bay with C16 3-light window, crenellated chapel with 3-light windows in outer bays, centre bay blocked, depressed Tudor arched doorway left bay, stepped buttresses between; blocked East window to chapel, C19 3-light chancel window, North front 2-light with 3-light East end of North aisle which is crenellated with quatrefoil decorated merlons, gargoyles and pinnacles, deeply moulded plinth, crenellated roodstair turret centre, all 3-light windows with stepped buttresses between fifth bay 2 storey North porch gabled with finial and kneelers, setback stepped buttresses rising to string course, moulded arched opening, upper floor removed, C20 roof timbers, Tudor arched opening, C19 door; 4-light West window to nave. Interior: rendered. Octagonal pier with respond West bay of South aisle, pointed arch, rest standard Perpendicular arcades, foliage decorated capitals in North aisle including green man and instruments of the passion, 2 hagioscopes. Tower arches triple chamfered North face, double chamfered East face; irregular shaped moulded arch between South aisle and chapel. C19 arch braced roof to chancel with stencilled decoration by the incumbent 1871-1907, Edward Jones, others moulded ribbed open barrel vaults, partially renewed, South aisle roof Cl9. Painted decoration in the chancel also by the Revd Jones, Victorian reredos, tiled chancel floor and dado, latter obscured by paint. Arched roodloft door in North aisle with square headed loft opening above, Medieval door with trefoil headed ribbed decoration and fine Medieval metalwork. Moulded Tudor arched tomb recess containing small brass to Margery Windham died 1585. Impressive 2 bay canopy tomb with paired Corinthian columns, strapwork decoration and other Mannerist detailing to Sir George Sydenham died 1597, with effigies of Sir George, his 2 wives and a triumvirate of babies rising at their feet. Other good memorials in the south chapel: a slate tablet to George Musgrave died 1721, a marble wall tablet to another George Musgrave died 1741, optimistically attributed to Rysbrack, mid C19 Gothick tablet by J Pearse of Minehead; one in nave to Thomas Rich died 1727 with touring putti. Some C16 bench ends. Mid C18 brass candelabra by Thomas Bayley of Minehead. 3 roundels of late C15-early C16 Flemish glass in South aisle window. (Photograph in NMR; VCH Somerset Vol 5, forthcoming).

Listing NGR: ST0981137294