Church Of St Peter and Paul, Great Somerford, Wiltshire, SN15 (Grade I)

GREAT SOMERFORD TOP STREET ST 98 SE 3/212 Church of St Peter and Paul 28.10.59 GV I Anglican parish church. C14, C15, restored 1865 by J.H. Hakewill. Rubble stone with stone slate roofs and coped gables. West tower, nave, south porch, north aisle and chancel with north side organ chamber. Late C14 or early C15 west tower, formerly roughcast, with diagonal buttresses, plinth, dripcourses, embattled parapet and angle pinnacles. Small 2-light Perpendicular style bell- openings, three-sided stair turret up to second stage of south side and west front narrow Tudor-arched door under 3-light west window and hoodmould. South wall has late C15 long flat-headed 4- light window with hoodmould each side of ashlar-fronted porch, rebuilt 1905 reusing old materials. Tudor-arched doorway and C19 door within. At south east angle, three-sided rood-stair tower with small rood-light above. On north side, nave roof is carried down over aisle with blocked Tudor-arched door and flat headed 2- light Perpendicular window each side. Coped east gable. Ashlar chancel has two 3-light four-centred windows to south, with small door between and one to north with 1880 organ chamber to right. Four-light Perpendicular east window. Interior: nave has collar-rafter roof and one tie-beam, heavily moulded late C14 or early C15 tower arch with 1903 timber screen and fine C14 four bay arcade, the piers with four shafts and four hollows, the capitals with large crude leaf mouldings. Hollow-and- wave moulded pointed arches. Similar mouldings to chancel arch. North aisle has lean-to roof. Chancel has delicately painted wagon roof, 1901 by F.C. Eden, south side windows are continued down with blank panelling as sedilia, piscina to left. Fittings and monuments: chancel east window by Lavers and Barraud, 1865, north window c1865, south windows of 1924 and 1978. South side pedimented coloured marble plaque to Rev T. Seale died 1771 and pedimented monument with twisted and vase columns to Rev R. Browne died 1687. Much matching early C20 woodwork: pew fronts, pulpit, organ case, stalls and rails. In nave, Gothic monument over south door to W. Smith died 1833, marble plaque by Lancashire of Bath to M. Parsloe died 1788 and one south window with glass of 1873. Medieval fragments in rood-light. Pulpit has C17 tester. Under tower, royal arms of 1814. In north aisle, restored Perpendicular octagonal font, monuments to L. Pyke died 1813 signed Brewer of Box; to W. Pyke died 1791 and to E. Smith died 1798, both of fine quality and signed T. King of Bath; to John Smith c1790 by T. King, and to John Smith died 1772 in coloured marble. Three-light east window glass of 1865, probably by Lavers and Barraud. (P. Hobbs, Somerford Magna, 1982 15-22; Wiltshire Archaeological Magazine 31 1901 283pl; N. Pevsner, Wiltshire, 1975 260-1)