More information : [ST 6845 3479] St. Mary's Ch. [TU] (1)
St. Mary, Bruton has an early 14th cent. crypt, apparently late
14th cent. N. porch tower, early 15th cent. nave, late 15th cent.
W. tower, and an early 16th cent. clerestory. (2)
In normal use. (3)
Grade A Church of St.Mary
Parish Church. A very fine and imposing fabric dating mainly from C.15 with large W. tower and another smaller one over N. porch. Handsome C.18 chancel. The nave has a rich tie beam roof of local type. Tower screen early C.17. Late C.16 monument to Sir Maurice Berkley. (4)
Church of St. Mary Grade I
Parish Church. c1350 and later with chancel by Nathaniel Ireson
of Wincanton, 1743; possibly on older foundations.Local stone
cut and squared with Doulting stone dressings; shallow
lead-covered roofs, but with Welsh slates to North tower. 6-cell
plan, with 3-bay chancel; nave, North and South aisles of 5 bays
each; Eastern extensions of 1 bay to aisles to form vestry and
organ chamber; West entrance tower and also a North tower. Chancel
has plinth, slim offset corner buttresses, open parapet with
piers; no East window, but to North and South 2-light
semi-circular arched windows with roundel over in plain pointed
arch surround; blocked segmental arched recess on South side.
North aisle of c1350; plinthed, angled corner and offset bay
buttresses, crenellated parapet; 3-light pointed arch window
with mid C15 tracery; South aisle and nave similar in character,
all C15; parapets of openwork with pinnacles; in centre of South
aisle low moulded pointed arch doorway having C16 door with
central wicket gate. In centre of North aisle is the North Tower
of c1350; 3-stages; no plinth, angled corner buttresses, string
course, crenellated, corner gargoyles; square stair turret on South
West corner taller than tower itself; North doorway of two
chamfered orders in pointed arch; to West low C16 window, and
above C19 plain windows to all three sides; to stage 2 are a
C19 2-light window in recess to North face; to stage 3 are C15
traceried 2-light windows under pointed arch, without labels. all
faces. West Tower of 1445/46, in 4 stages; tall, with plinth,
offset corner buttresses for most of height, ending in
pinnacles, sting courses, ornamented crenellated parapets with
quatrefoils and decorated band below, gargoyle heads to sides;
4-centre moulded arch doorway to West under square label with
foliage decoration to spendrils; immediately above a 6-light
C15 style tracerised window whose pointed arch breaks into next
stage; stage 2 has 3 canopied statue niches, the centre set
higher, on West; to North and South 2-light C15 treceried windows
in recesses with labels and cill courses; stage-3 has similar
windows all round, and set under West window is a clockface; 4th
stage has sets of three 2-light mullioned and transomed windows
as arcading, with dividing pinnacled pilasters. Interior has
fine C18 plasterwork to chancel, with ornamental ribbed ceiling
vault on Classical corbels, with bosses; fine 3-bay reredos
with Corinthian pilasters, full entablature and pediment to
centre bay, plaster swags and drop to panels; C18 altar rail and
boxed choirstalls; screen in high 4-centre chancel arch to match,
but dated 1938. Nave arcades have almost triangular 4-centre
arches on slim 4-hollow piers, with wide but low clerestorey
windows of between 1506 and 1523; roof of tie beam and king-post
construction with traceried infill, of same date; aisle roofs to
match. Blind C15 windows at East end of aisles, and remains of
stairways to North aisle and nave rood lofts; similar traces in
South side. Crypt under chancel of c1350. Among the fittings
are a cinquefoil cusped piscina to south aisle; wood pulpit of
early C17 on stone base; C17 bench ends in Nave; a large
possibly C13 chest with two lids, a Charles II hatchment board,
and the 1620 chancel screen now fitted across the tower arch.
Monuments include one to Sir Maurice Berkeley, died 1581, with
recumbent effigies of himself and two wives in an Easter
sepulchree-type recess with double round arched front,
Corinthian pilasters and strapwork panels; to Captain the Hon.
William Berkeley, died 1733, erected 1749, by P. Scheemakers, -
a draped urn with flags on heavy plaque; another broken
pedimented plaque with urn and base swags to William Berkely,
died 1741; also black marble momument with segmental pediment and
bronze bust and decoration, possibly by Le Sueur, to Wiliam
Godolphin, died 1636. In nave a much weathered chest tomb of
early C15 with quatrefoil panels. (Couzens and Blake, A Guide
to St Marys, Bruton 1974; Couzens P, Bruton in Selwood, Abbey
Press, Sherborne, 1972; Gunnis R, Dictionary of British Sculptors
1660- 1851, Abbey Library, 1951).
The gate piers and gates, about 22 metres North North West of the Church, and all of the boundary walls and other gateways, Church of Saint Mary
Grade II
Boundary walls with gate piers and gates. Mostly C18 and C19.
Local and Doulting stone, with cast iron gates. North boundary
wall averages 2.5. metres high, with coursed rubble capped with
pitched coping stones; near gates a plaque recording flood levels;
central gate piers of square ashlar with pyramidal caps on which
are set C20 wrought iron lights; fine pair cast iron gates in
Gothic style; similar gate piers in North West Corner, with
ashlar sweep wall to Vicarase (qv), C20 wooden gates. West wall
averages 2 metres high, with stepped pitched coping; rubble,
with some old tombstones set in. South wall has vertical stone
copings to rubble, again with tombstones set in; opposite East
wall of chancel is a 4-centred arched gateway, possibly the private
gateway for the Berkeley family, owners of the former Abbey, to
left of gateway is fragment of chest tomb of Thomas Hill, died
1637. East wall also rubble, rather lower in average height.
The North and East walls are important elements in the street
scene; the South and West walls define the limits between
churchyard and Bruton Abbey, finally demolished in 1786. (Couzens
P, Bruton in Selwood, Abbey Press, Sherborne 1972). (5)
The Church of St Mary is a C 7 foundation (the earlier church being on or near the site of the present church). (6) |