The Anglican Church of St James the Great in

Fitzhead Fitzhead is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated approximately north west of Taunton. The village has an estimated population of 264. History The name of the village, which was recorded as ''Fifida'' in 1178 indicates the or ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, England was built in the 15th century. It is a Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

History

The church was built in the 15th century from which the tower survives. The three-

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

and

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...

were rebuilt in 1849 and a

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquiall ...

added in 1863. The north

aisle An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, certain types of buildings, such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parl ...

was added in 1887. Next to the church is a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

tithe barn. The parish is part of the Milverton with Halse, Fitzhead and

Ash Priors Ash Priors is a village and parish in Somerset, England, situated north west of Taunton in the Somerset West and Taunton district. The village has a population of 155. History The parish of Ash Priors was part of the Hundred of Kilmersdon. ...

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

within the Diocese of Bath and Wells.

Architecture

The red

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

building has hamstone dressings. The three stage tower is supported by diagonal

buttress A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral (s ...

es. Inside the church is a 15th-century

rood screen The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or ...

. In 2009

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...

panels by local potter John Watt, depicting local scenes, were installed in the church. In the churchyard is a 14th-century grey sandstone cross which was restored in 1908. As well as being a

it has been scheduled as an ancient monument. Several of the tombs in the churchyard are also listed, including the late 17th century chest tombs of Ann Brulard, and Mary Byam. There are also unidentified tombs from the 17th and 18th centuries, The gates and gatepiers were installed in the early 19th century.

References

{{reflist Grade II* listed buildings in Taunton Deane Grade II* listed churches in Somerset

History

Architecture

See also

References