Church of St Peter and St Paul, Shepton Mallet

Church of St Peter and St Paul
Church of St Peter and St Paul, Shepton Mallet is located in Somerset
Church of St Peter and St Paul, Shepton Mallet
Location within Somerset
General information
Town or cityShepton Mallet
CountryEngland
Coordinates51°11′28″N 2°32′45″W / 51.1910°N 2.5457°W / 51.1910; -2.5457
Completed15th century

The Church of St Peter and St Paul in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England, dates from the 12th century and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.[1]

There is evidence of a church on the site from before the Norman Conquest of 1066, and the font may date from that time. The only other remains are the walls around the chancel arch.[2]

The current building is largely from the 15th century, with further rebuilding in 1836 to 1837 when the original chapels, aisles and transepts were demolished in order to enlarge them.[2] The timber roof includes 350 panels of different designs and 36 carved angels along the sides, which was described by Nikolaus Pevsner as "the finest 15th-century carved oak wagon-roof in England".[3] The stone pulpit dates from around 1550 and has six carved panels.[2]

The four stage tower was built around 1423, with four pinnacles, a lozenge parapet, triple window arrangement and stair turret.[4] It was originally intended to have a spire but this was never built.[5]

The Millennium Window (2000 AD) was designed, constructed and installed by local stained glass artist John Yeo.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Church of St Peter & St Paul". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 2 March 2008.
  2. ^ a b c Robinson, W.J. (1915). West Country Churches. Bristol: Bristol Times and Mirror Ltd. pp. 144–149.
  3. ^ Leete-Hodge, Lornie (1985). Curiosities of Somerset. Bodmin: Bossiney Books. p. 20. ISBN 0-906456-98-3.
  4. ^ Poyntz Wright, Peter (1981). The Parish Church Towers of Somerset, Their construction, craftsmanship and chronology 1350 - 1550. Avebury Publishing Company. ISBN 0-86127-502-0.
  5. ^ Bush, Robin (1994). Somerset: The Complete Guide. Wimborne: Dovecote Press. pp. 179–181. ISBN 1-874336-26-1.
  6. ^ "The Historic St Peter and St Paul". St Peter and St Pauls Parish Church. Archived from the original on 14 May 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2011.