Church of St Mary the Virgin, Norton-sub-Hamdon

The Church of St Mary the Virgin in Norton-sub-Hamdon, Somerset, England, has 13th-century origins but was rebuilt around 1510. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building.[1]

Church of St Mary the Virgin
Yellow stone building with square tower.
LocationNorton-sub-Hamdon, Somerset, England
Coordinates50°56′24″N 2°45′13″W / 50.94000°N 2.75361°W / 50.94000; -2.75361
Built16th century
Listed Building – Grade I
Designated19 April 1961[1]
Reference no.437126
Church of St Mary the Virgin, Norton-sub-Hamdon is located in Somerset
Church of St Mary the Virgin, Norton-sub-Hamdon
Location of Church of St Mary the Virgin in Somerset

Restoration was undertaken by Henry Wilson in 1894 and again in 1904.

The five-stage tower, dating from around 1485,[2] which rises 98.5 feet (30 m) was damaged by lightning and fire on 29 July 1894, but restored within a year preserving the original design.[3] It has a double plinth, offset corner buttresses, dividing strings, battlemented parapet with pairs of corner pinnacles extended from buttresses, and central paired pinnacles corbelled off gargoyles.[1]

The dovecote in the churchyard dates from the 17th century,[4] and was associated with a manor house which was demolished around 1850.[5]

Former leader of the Liberal Democrats and High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina Paddy Ashdown is buried in the church's graveyard.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Church of St. Mary the Virgin". historicengland.org.uk. English Heritage. Retrieved 7 June 2009.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "Church Guide". Church of St Mary the Virgin, Norton Sub Hamdon. Archived from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2008.
  4. ^ "Dovecote in churchyard, about 15 metres south-west of church, Church of St. Mary the Virgin". historicengland.org.uk. English Heritage. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
  5. ^ Bush, Robin (1994). Somerset: The complete guide. Wimborne: The Dovecote Press Ltd. pp. 159. ISBN 1-874336-26-1.
  6. ^ "Paddy Ashdown's funeral held in Somerset". BBC News. 10 January 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2021.