MSO11460 - St Mary's Church, Nettlecombe (Building)

[ST 05683775] St. Mary's Church (NAT). [1] St Mary's church has an early 15th Century tower and it is probable that the walls of the chancel and nave, although appearing to be no earlier than the 15th Century, may indeed be those of a 13th Century church, or at any rate form the foundations of an earlier building. The rest of the church was much renewed in 1989. [2,3] In normal use. [4] There was probably a church in Nettlecombe by the late 12th Century and in 1291 it was worth £8. The church was dedicated by 1440. The aisle was probably the chapel which in 1440 was dedicated to St John the Baptist. The rood loft was taken down in 1529-30 when the N nave wall was being demolished. There was a singing loft by 1713. [5] Graveyard in use since at least medieval times. [6] Churchyard contains scheduled cross MSO7694. [7] An oak board records 38 members of the parish who served in WWI. A brass plaque commemorates 9 members of the parish who died during World War Two. A cross and palm leaves are incised above the inscription. The plaque was made by J. Wippell and Co Ltd. [8] Parish church. C13-C14, West tower rebuilt mid C15, South aisle rebuilt late C15, porch and North aisle circa 1536, North chapel 1531-4, church restored circa 1820-1, clerestory added, chancel altered and vestry added 1858 and 1870. Architects, early C19 Richard Carver, later work by C E Giles under direction of James Babbage. Red sandstone random rubble, squared and coursed on vestry and chancel, slate roofs, coped verges. Further details in DEM3218. [9] Additional Bibliography. [10-15] The building was visited in December 2013 as part of the rapid condition survey of Exmoor's Listed Buildings 2012-13. It received a BAR score of 6. [16] A collection of images of the site is held by the Historic England Archive. [17,18] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [19]