Description

ALLER CP
ST32NE
4/4 Church of St Andrew
17.4.59
GV II*

Anglican Parish Church. Saxon origins; work of C12/13, C15, major restoration 1861-62 by John Norton. Local lias stone
cut and squared, Ham stone dressings; Welsh slate roofs with clay sawtooth ridge between coped gables. Three-cell plan
of 2-bay chancel, 3-bay nave and north aisle, with north and south porches and west tower, and north east vestry.
Chancel mostly C13; plinth, angled corner buttresses; 2-light Curvilinear traceried east window, much restored, under
which a 1680 memorial tableti on north wall a small curved lancet window with restored head, and projecting 1861
vestry, which has a coped gable, a circular chimney and a 2-light cusped lancet window; south wall has two small
buttresses flanking narrow pointed arched doorway, now blocked, and on either side a 3-light C15 window with ogee head
light under flat arch, in recesses with no labels. Nave has a south east buttress; upper part of walls a C19 rebuild;
south wall has a 3 light C15 window set in a 4-centre arched hollowed recess; projecting south porch, C15 origins, has
side butresses, chamfered pointed outer arch now blocked. North aisle a C19 addition; plinth, bay buttresses; 3-light
east and west windows and 2-light north windows in a C13 style: north porch has double chamfer outer arch and hollow
chamfered inner arch, the whole a C19 addition. Tower of late C19; 3 stages, with string courses, and lower stage
offsets under stone slab roofs to north and south sides; angled south west corner buttress to full height, north west
octagonal stair turret capped with spirelet: lowest stage has 3-light west window of C15 tracery in hollowed pointed
arched recess, square stopped label; on north side a 2-light cusped lancet, almost plate tracery; stage 2 plain save
for rectangular window on west side; Stage 3 has 2-light C15 traceried windows with louvre baffles, under plain arched
labels; top of tower has battlemented parapet and corner gargoyles. Inside, chancel has C19 rib and panel vault ceiling
and mostly C19 fittings, but a small C18 aumbry in south wall, and a reredos by J D Sedding; in north wall an elaborate
cusped niche in a rural style with effigy of a knight, probably Sir John of Clevedon, d 1373; C12 style chancel arch,
mostly recut/rebuilt. Nave arcade and roof C19, former in an early C13 style. The under-tower space unusual - it seems
to be originally designed as a crossing tower, with arches to north, east and south, and flying arched braces to nave
walls; C20 screen across base. In south porch, accessible only from nave, a probably C11/12 doorway almost Saxon in
proportions, and on South side chevron decorated doorway. Fittings include an elaborate pulpit dated 1610, timber on a
C19 stone base; two fonts, one a lead-lined tulip bowl on plain turned shaft, probably C12, the other octagonal, with
keyed panels, deep undercoving and twist base, dated 1660. Memorials include a Keinton stone plaque in chancel, with
ornamental stone surround of 1639, traces of colour remain but memorial damaged; several C17 floor slabs; another
defaced effigy in north aisle, possibly Sir John of filler, died c1272. C17 Altar table stolen since last listing. (VCH,
vol III, 1974; Pevsner, Buildings of England South and West Somerset, 1958).

Listing NGR: ST3963228805

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Church of Saint Andrew at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q17554247

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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