The Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

church in

West Chinnock West Chinnock is a village in Somerset, England, north east of Crewkerne, both in the South Somerset district. It occupies a central position east of the road that links Crewkerne to the A303 road and is mainly south of a brook that feeds nea ...

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. It has 13th-century origins but was largely rebuilt in 1889–90 to the design of Charles Kirk. It is a Grade II listed building and now forms part of the Ham Hill Churches Benefice.

History

St Mary's has origins to the 13th-century, with the first recorded rector being Rev. John de Kirkeby in 1293. In 1821 and again in 1827, the church was enlarged. Plans for the church's restoration were drawn up in circa 1876, but the lack of funding stopped the scheme from being carried out. In addition to the required repair work, the rector of the time, Rev. Christian Frederick Newell, considered the existing church inadequate in its arrangement. Later in 1889, Mrs. Sarah Woodcock of West Chinnock gifted £800 towards the rebuilding of the church, which prompted a meeting to be called in May 1889 to discuss the scheme. An additional £760 was promised by the parishioners towards the estimated £2,180 cost. The

Earl of Ilchester Earl of Ilchester is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1756 for Stephen Fox, 1st Baron Ilchester, who had previously represented Shaftesbury in Parliament. He had already been created Baron Ilchester, of Ilchester in t ...

, the principal landowner and patron of the living, donated £300, while the Bishop of Bath and Wells, the Right Rev.

Lord Arthur Hervey Lord Arthur Charles Hervey (20 August 1808 – 9 June 1894) was an English bishop who served as Bishop of Bath and Wells from 1869 to 1894. He was usually known by his aristocratic courtesy title, "Lord", rather than the style appropriate to ...

, expressed his approval of the scheme and provided a donation. The church was built by Charles Trask of

Norton-sub-Hamdon Norton-sub-Hamdon is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the South Somerset district of the English county of Somerset, situated five miles west of Yeovil. The village has a population of 743. The village of Chiselborough i ...

to the plans of Charles Kirk of

Sleaford Sleaford is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. Centred on the former parish of New Sleaford, the modern boundaries and urban area include Quarrington, Lincolnshire, ...

. The final services in the old church were held on 28 July 1889 and the following day saw work begin on the removal of seating in preparation for demolition. While the new church was being built, the adjacent National Schoolroom was licensed to hold afternoon Sunday services and baptisms. Holy Communion and marriages were held at the churches at Chiselborough or

Middle Chinnock Middle Chinnock is a village in Somerset, England, north east of Crewkerne, both in the South Somerset district. It lies east of the larger village of West Chinnock, with which it forms the civil parish of West and Middle Chinnock. Middle Ch ...

. The chief corner stone was laid during a ceremony by Mrs. Woodcock on 8 October 1889. Owing to the chancel's 13th-century features, the rebuilding attempted to preserve this section of the church as much as possible. The tower was demolished and rebuilt further west, allowing the main body of the church to be enlarged. The tower was partially built using stone from the old church. The church was opened and the enlarged churchyard consecrated by the Bishop of Bath and Wells on 24 July 1890.

Architecture

St Mary's is built of Hamstone with Welsh slate on the roofs. It is made up of a

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 ...

, north and south aisles,

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 ...

and west two-stage tower, with 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 ...

in the latter, underneath the belfry. The tower, approximately sixty feet in height, is surmounted by a weathervane and contains four bells; three of which were taken from the old church, with two being recast during the restoration of 1889–90. The fourth was a new addition, gifted by Mrs. Woodcock in memory of Abraham and Isaac Ford. The new bell and recasting of the old ones was carried out by Messrs Taylor of Loughborough. The open roof is built of Memel timber, with principals supported on carved corbels and circular-moulded ribs. Some of the stained glass added in the 1889–90 restoration was gifted anonymously. The south window's stained glass was gifted by Mr. Richard Hayward of West Chinnock in memory of his grandfather. Mrs. Woodcock gifted the stained glass of the chancel south-east window in memory of the Ford family. The 13th-century piscina and

sedilia In church architecture, sedilia (plural of Latin ''sedīle'', "seat") are seats, usually made of stone, found on the liturgical south side of an altar, often in the chancel, for use during Mass for the officiating priest and his assistants, the ...

of the chancel are retained in their original positions. New fittings were provided for the rebuilt church, many of which were gifted. Major Hayward presented the oak altar table and reredos, the latter being made of Ancaster stone, with marble columns, caps and bases. Mr. Thomas March of Newton gifted the oak altar chairs in memory of John Patten of West Chinnock. The choir stalls and reading desk are of oak. The pulpit of

Doulting stone Doulting Stone Quarry () is a limestone quarry at Doulting, on the Mendip Hills, Somerset, England. At present there are only three quarries quarrying Doulting stone. The largest, The Doulting Stone Quarry, was producing building stone in Rom ...

was gifted by Misses E. and M. Hayward of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in memory of Thomas Carlyle Hayward. The font, gifted by the architect, is of Ancaster stone, with a marble column and Doulting stone base. The 1889–90 restoration also saw the churchyard rearranged, enlarged and enclosed with a new boundary wall of Hamstone. To enlarge the churchyard, two cottages were demolished on the east side and one on the west side, the latter being gifted by the Earl of Ilchester.

References

External links

* {{Commons category-inline, St Mary's church, West Chinnock Churches in Somerset Church of England church buildings in South Somerset Grade II listed churches in Somerset Churches completed in 1890