Church of St Mary | |
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General information | |
Town or city | Bishops Lydeard |
Country | England |
Coordinates | 51°03′41″N 3°11′14″W / 51.0614°N 3.1872°W |
Completed | 14th century |
The Church of St Mary in Bishops Lydeard, Somerset, England, dates from the 14th and 15th centuries and has been designated as a Grade I listed building. [1]
In 1860–62 the church was extended by one bay and a vestry, by Edward Jeboult of Taunton, added.
The tower, which was built around 1497, [2] has pierced tracery battlements, pinnacles, set back buttresses terminating in pinnacles at the bell-storey, and pinnacles on the buttresses at each stage. [1] On the stonework are hunky punks which have been severely damaged by the weather, however one appears to represent a Sea serpent. [3]
Between 2010 and 2011, an eleven-month restoration programme, focussing on the tower and costing £240,000, was undertaken by Sally Strachey Historic Conservation, under the supervision of Smith Gamblin Architects. [4]
Several of the tombs in the churchyard are of historical importance, as are two crosses, one dating from the 14th century, [5] the other being the town's market cross which was moved to the churchyard in the 19th century. [6] [7]