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) |