Description

3343 ABBOTTS ANN ABBOTTS ANN
10/31
Church of St. Mary
The Virgin
20.12.60
I

Parish church. 1716. Brick, with stone dressings, and a slate roof. The
building replaces an earlier church, and was paid for by the estate owner Thomas
'Diamond' Pitt, a former governor of Madras and father of the Earl of Chatham.
The structure is of classical form, with symmetrical or regular elevations, with
an aisleless nave of 4 bays, chancel, west tower incorporating the entrance,
and a small Victorian vestry south of the chancel. The walls are of brickwork
in Flemish bond with blue headers, and Bath stone features; weathered coping
to the parapet, moulded cornice, corner pilasters, moulded plinths: plain
architraves to the openings, round-headed windows and doorways with Keystones.
The tower has 3 stages, separated by moulded stone bands, the top stage has a
cambered head to the opening, the middle stage has a small oval window (clock
face on the west) above a window with a cambered head, and the lower stage has
a recessed brick panel above an opening: the west side his"the arched door-
way, with moulded impost, plain pilasters and arched cornice: the south side
has a rectangular (staircase) projection with a small window above a tiny door-
way. The easternmost group of windows (chancel and 2 eastern bays of the nave)
have been filled (C19) with traceried coupled lights, and the parapet of the
tower is crenellated, with corner Gothic pinnacles. Inside, the simple
classical appearance is enhanced by oak panelling, in the sanctuary and as a
dado to the rest of the chancel and to the nave: the pews have doors and
include a family pew: the pulpit is a panelled octagon. There are communion
rails and a wood octagonal font of baluster form, with stoneware bowl and
decorative wooden cover. A gallery occupies the west bay of the nave, with
panelled front, 2 Tuscan columns, with pilasters against the side walls: 2
panels are lettered (one about a bequest of 1728, the other about, the church
rebuilding of 1716). There are wall monuments of the late C18 and early C19
date, and inside the porch (the lowest part of the tower) is a painted Royal
Coat of Arms of G II 1728: against the east wall of the nave on each side are
mid C19 Prescriptions. A feature of the church is the series of Virgins' Crowns,
hung from the cornice of the coved ceiling of the nave, the medieval tradition
of maidens' garlands having continued into present times; the garlands are left
to hang until they drop and the oldest surviving is dated 1740. This is a
virtually unaltered Georgian church, complete with fittings.

Listing NGR: SU3283743570

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17528550

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.

Recommended Books

• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback
• 
  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period property manual, victorian house manual 2 books collection set by ian rock
• 
  Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6