Church of St Mary
Red stone building with square tower. In the foreground is a graveyard.
St Mary's Church, Bishops Lydeard is located in Somerset
St Mary's Church, Bishops Lydeard
Location within Somerset
General information
Town or cityBishops Lydeard
CountryEngland
Coordinates51°03′41″N 3°11′14″W / 51.0614°N 3.1872°W / 51.0614; -3.1872
Completed14th century

The Church of St Mary in Bishops Lydeard, Somerset, England, dates from the 14th and 15th centuries and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.[1]

In 1860–62 the church was extended by one bay and a vestry, by Edward Jeboult of Taunton, added.

The tower, which was built around 1497,[2] has pierced tracery battlements, pinnacles, set back buttresses terminating in pinnacles at the bell-storey, and pinnacles on the buttresses at each stage.[1] On the stonework are hunky punks which have been severely damaged by the weather, however one appears to represent a Sea serpent.[3]

Between 2010 and 2011, an eleven-month restoration programme, focussing on the tower and costing £240,000, was undertaken by Sally Strachey Historic Conservation, under the supervision of Smith Gamblin Architects.[4]

Several of the tombs in the churchyard are of historical importance, as are two crosses, one dating from the 14th century,[5] the other being the town's market cross which was moved to the churchyard in the 19th century.[6][7]

See also

References

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  1. 1 2 Historic England. "Church of St Mary (1059248)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 February 2007.
  2. ↑ Poyntz Wright, Peter (1981). The Parish Church Towers of Somerset, Their construction, craftsmanship and chronology 1350 - 1550. Avebury Publishing Company. ISBN 0-86127-502-0.
  3. ↑ Wright, Peter Poyntz (2004). Hunky Punks: A Study in Somerset Stone Carving (2 ed.). Heart of Albion Press. pp. 46–53. ISBN 978-1872883755.
  4. ↑ 5
  5. ↑ Historic England. "Cross in Churchyard, Church of St Mary (1175069)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 February 2007.
  6. ↑ Adkins, Lesley and Roy (1992). A Field Guide to Somerset Archaeology. Wimborne, Dorset: Dovecote Press. pp. 25–26. ISBN 0-946159-94-7.
  7. ↑ Historic England. "Two crosses in St Mary's churchyard (1016708)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
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