Church of St Peter and St Paul, Shepton Mallet

Church in Somerset, England

51°11′28″N 2°32′45″W / 51.1910°N 2.5457°W / 51.1910; -2.5457Completed15th century

The Church of St Peter and St Paul in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England, dates from the 12th century and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.[1]

There is evidence of a church on the site from before the Norman Conquest and the font may date from that time. The only other remains are the walls around the chancel arch.[2]

The current building is largely from the 15th century, with further rebuilding in 1836 to 1837 when the chapels, aisles and transepts were demolished in order to enlarge them.[2] The timber roof includes 350 panels of different designs and 36 carved angels along the sides, which was described by Nikolaus Pevsner as "the finest 15th century carved oak wagon-roof in England".[3] The stone pulpit dates from around 1550 and has six carved panels.[2]

The four stage tower was built around 1423, with four pinnacles, a lozenge parapet, triple window arrangement and stair turret.[4] It was originally intended to have a spire but this was never built.[5]

The Millennium Window (2000 AD) was designed, constructed and installed by local stained glass artist John Yeo.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Church of St Peter & St Paul". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 2 March 2008.
  2. ^ a b c Robinson, W.J. (1915). West Country Churches. Bristol: Bristol Times and Mirror Ltd. pp. 144–149.
  3. ^ Leete-Hodge, Lornie (1985). Curiosities of Somerset. Bodmin: Bossiney Books. p. 20. ISBN 0-906456-98-3.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ Bush, Robin (1994). Somerset: The Complete Guide. Wimborne: Dovecote Press. pp. 179–181. ISBN 1-874336-26-1.
  6. ^ "The Historic St Peter and St Paul". St Peter and St Pauls Parish Church. Archived from the original on 14 May 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2011.