| Church of St Mary | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Location within Somerset | |
| General information | |
| Town or city | North Petherton, Somerset |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 51°05′32″N 3°00′53″W / 51.0922°N 3.0148°W |
| Completed | 15th century |
The Church of St Mary in North Petherton, Somerset, England dates from the 15th century and has been designated as a grade I listed building.[1] It is on the Heritage at Risk Register due to the condition of the roof and north aisle parapet.[2]
There was a church in North Petherton before the Norman Conquest and the site belonged to Buckland Priory from the 12th century.[3] The current building dates from the expansion of the town around 1490,[4] although it does contain some fabric from the 13th century.[3]
The minster church has a highly decorated tower which, at 112 feet (34 metres) high,[5] was described by Nickolaus Pevsner as one of the finest towers in the county.[1] The tower was built around 1508.[6] It contains a peal of six bells, and a clock built in Bridgwater in 1807.[1] On the stonework are hunky punks in the shape of animals.[7]
The interior has a minstrel gallery from 1623,[1] a carved wooden pulpit from the 15th century, and a brass chandelier which was added in 1984.[8]
The parish is part of the Alfred Jewel benefice within the Sedgemoor deanery.[9]
- ^ a b c d "Church of St. Mary". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 19 November 2007.
- ^ "Church of St Mary, Fore Street, North Petherton — Sedgemoor". Heritage at Risk. English Heritage. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
- ^ a b Gathercole, Clare. "An archeological assessment of North Petherton" (PDF). English Heritage Extensive Urban Survey. Somerset County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 August 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
- ^ Gathercole, Clare. "North Petherton". Somerset Urban Archaeological Surveys. Somerset County Council. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
- ^ Flannery, Julian (2016). Fifty English Steeples: The Finest Medieval Parish Church Towers and Spires in England. London: Thames and Hudson. pp. 402–411. ISBN 978-0-500-34314-2. OCLC 965636725.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Wright, Peter Poyntz (2004). Hunky Punks: A Study in Somerset Stone Carving (2 ed.). Heart of Albion Press. pp. 124–135. ISBN 978-1872883755.
- ^ R W Dunning, C R Elrington (Editors), A P Baggs, M C Siraut (1992). "North Petherton: Churches". A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 6: Andersfield, Cannington, and North Petherton Hundreds (Bridgwater and neighbouring parishes). Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
{{cite web}}:|author=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "St Mary the Virgin, North Petherton". Church of England. Retrieved 31 October 2011.