Old Church of St James, Upton

Old Church of St James
LocationUpton, Somerset, England
Coordinates51°03′19″N 3°27′34″W / 51.05528°N 3.45944°W / 51.05528; -3.45944
Built14th century
Governing bodyChurches Conservation Trust
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official nameRemains of the Church of St James
Designated8 April 1959[1]
Reference no.1248084
Old Church of St James, Upton is located in Somerset
Old Church of St James, Upton
Location of Old Church of St James in Somerset

The Old St James's Church is a former church in the village of Upton, Somerset, England, of which only the tower remains, overlooking Wimbleball Lake. The tower is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building,[1] and is in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.[2] The church was declared redundant on 4 November 1971, and was vested in the Trust on 24 May 1973.[3]

The church had a square chancel and rectangular nave, which together were 20.12 metres (66.0 ft) long and 3.96 metres (13.0 ft) wide.[4]

The only parts of the 14th-century church which remain are from the lowest courses of the nave and chancel, and the tower,[2] which has three stages and was unbuttressed,[1] however a buttress was added to the south east corner in the 19th century.[1] The tower was made safe in 1973.[4]

The current parish church of St James was built in 1870 to replace this church,[5] as it was considered too far from the village.[4]

The bells from the church have been reused elsewhere including one at the St John the Baptist in Pitney and one in Green Point, New South Wales, Australia.[6][7]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Historic England, "Remains of the Church of St James, Upton (1248084)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 31 August 2013
  2. ^ a b "St James' Tower, Upton, Somerset". Churches Conservation Trust. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  3. ^ Diocese of Bath and Wells: All Schemes (PDF), Church Commissioners/Statistics, Church of England, 2011, p. 6, retrieved 2 April 2011
  4. ^ a b c "MSO8364 - St James' Church and Churchyard, Upton Farm". Exmoor Historic Environment Record. Exmoor National Park. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  5. ^ Historic England, "Church of St James, Upton (1263817)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 31 August 2013
  6. ^ "Green Point, NSW, Australia, Chapel". Keltek Trust. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  7. ^ "Pitney, Somerset, St John the Baptist". Keltek Trust. Retrieved 21 September 2016.