MSO7450 - St Mary's Church, Churchtown, Luxborough (Building)

(SS 97373801) St Mary's Church upper and lower (NAT). [1] The west tower and two-light west window are of the early 14th Century. [2] The church is in normal use. [3] Parish church. C13 chancel, C15 altered and lower stages of tower erected, 1861 north aisle added, nave largely rebuilt and upper stages of tower added, 1890 south porch, 1969 and 1973-4 church restored. Roughcast with exposed flat bedded slate tower and porch, Ham stone dressings, slate roofs, coped verges. Four-bay nave, chancel, 4-bay north aisle, south porch, west tower. Three stage saddle-back tower aligned east-west, diagonal buttresses west end to second stage, 2-light louvred bell openings west end, string course, cross loop openings on returns, 2-light louvred bell openings below, 2-light window above pointed arch west door, C19 door; gabled south porch, chamfered pointed arch opening, C19 double doors, lit on returns, double inner door unmoulded, two 3-light windows to nave, large irregular buttresses at junction with chancel, lancets flanking priest's door with stepped buttress to left, 3-light east window, 2 lancets north front of chancel, two 3-light windows to north front ofchancel, two 3-light windows to north aisle. Interior: rendered tower exposed random rubble, chamfered chancel arch, pointed tower arch: C19 open wagon roofs. Four bay arcade of chamfered arches, outer bays springing from plain responds. C15 octagonal font. East window dedicated to Lt Lethbridge, died 1899. Mid-late C19 fittings. (Photograph in NMR; Pevsner, Buildings of England South and West Somerset, 1958). [4] Additional bibliography. [5,6,7] A three-light stained glass window commemorates B. E. Lethbridge who was killed in 1899 during the South African Wars. The left hand light depicts St Boniface, Christ Risen is shown in the centre and St Martin is in the right hand light. A cedar wood framed roll of honour commemorates three of the parish who died in World War One. [8] The building was visited in June 2012 as part of the rapid condition survey of Exmoor's Listed Buildings 2012-13. It received a BAR score of 6. [9] This record was enhanced as part of the National Record of the Historic Environment to Exmoor National Park Historic Environment Record data transfer project. [10] St Mary's Church is shown on 2022 MasterMap data. [11]