South Somerset Specials
These are some of the less elaborate towers of South Somerset: Queen Camel, around 1491; Mudford, about 1498; Kingsdon, about 1505; Martock, about 1511; Chard 1520, but possibly earlier; and Charlton Horethorne, about 1523.
| Name of church | Photograph | Listed building grade | Year tower built | Height | Location | Description | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Church of St Mary the Virgin | A !I | c. 1520 | Chard 50°52′09″N 2°57′48″W / 50.869167°N 2.963333°W / 50.869167; -2.963333 (Church of St Mary the Virgin, Chard) |
Dates from the late 11th century and was rebuilt in the 15th century. The tower contains two bells dating from the 1790s and made by Thomas Bilbie in Cullompton. The three-stage tower has moulded string courses and an angle stair turret in the north west corner. | |||
| Church of St Barnabas | A !I | c. 1491 | Queen Camel 51°01′19″N 2°34′26″W / 51.021944°N 2.573889°W / 51.021944; -2.573889 (Church of St Barnabas, Queen Camel) |
A tall tower, built in 5 stages. | |||
| Church of All Saints | A !I | c. 1511 | Martock 50°58′10″N 2°46′08″W / 50.969444°N 2.768889°W / 50.969444; -2.768889 (Church of All Saints, Martock) |
Dates from the 13th century and was restored by Benjamin Ferrey who was Diocesan Architect to the Diocese of Bath and Wells from 1841 until his death, carrying out much of the restoration work on Wells Cathedral from 1860 onwards, and also in 1883/4 by Ewan Christian. The tower was built in four stages, to replace the previous one over the central crossing. It has offset corner buttresses to the full height of the tower. | |||
| Church of Saint Mary | A !I | c. 1498 | Mudford 50°58′37″N 2°36′27″W / 50.976944°N 2.6075°W / 50.976944; -2.6075 (Church of St Mary, Mudford) |
A three-stage tower divided by string courses with clasping corner buttresses, a battlemented parapet with small corner and intermediate pinnacles, and corner gargoyles. There is a stair turret on the north-east corner with a weathervane finial, and a clock face on the east side. It contains five bells dated 1582, 1621, 1623, 1664 and 1666, all by Purdue family of nearby Closworth. | |||
| Church of St Peter and St Paul | B !II* | c. 1523 | Charlton Horethorne 51°00′35″N 2°28′44″W / 51.0098°N 2.4788°W / 51.0098; -2.4788 (Church of St Peter and St Paul, Charlton Horethorne) |
The 12th century acquired its two-stage tower in the late 15th century. It has offset corner buttresses almost to the full height of the tower with small crowning pinnacles. | |||
| All Saints Church | B !II* | c. 1505 | Kingsdon 51°02′09″N 2°41′35″W / 51.0358°N 2.693°W / 51.0358; -2.693 (All Saints Church, Kingsdon) |
A four-stage tower which was built in the 15th century replacing a previous one over the north transept. |
Read more about this topic: List Of Somerset Towers
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