The Anglican Church of St Mary in
Wambrook,
Somerset, England, was built in the 13th century. It is a Grade II*
listed building.
It has some innovative bell ringers who practice the 'clashing' technique of bell ringing. This is where all bells are chimed at roughly the same time instead of in a pattern. This is particularly difficult as the tempo has to be maintained as random.
History
The church was built in the 13th century and has been altered many times since. In the 15th century the
nave was rebuilt. Much later, in 1812, most of the
chancel was reconstructed.
A further
Restoration
Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to:
* Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage
** Audio restoration
** Film restoration
** Image restoration
** Textile restoration
* Restoration ecology
...
was carried out in 1892.
In 1963 the old south porch was transformed into a chapel.
The parish is part of the
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 ...
of
Chard
Chard or Swiss chard (; ''Beta vulgaris'' subsp. ''vulgaris'', Cicla Group and Flavescens Group) is a green leafy vegetable. In the cultivars of the Flavescens Group, the leaf stalks are large and often prepared separately from the leaf blade; ...
St. Mary along with
Combe St Nicholas and Wambrook. This benefice is within the
Diocese of Bath and Wells. Previously, the parish was part of the
Diocese of Salisbury
The Diocese of Salisbury is a Church of England diocese in the south of England, within the ecclesiastical Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers most of Dorset (excepting the deaneries of Bournemouth and Christchurch, which fall within t ...
.
Architecture
The stone building has
hamstone dressings and a slate roof. It has a 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 and
chancel. The three-stage tower is supported by setback
buttresses.
The tower contains a peal of five bells.
Inside, the church has a 13th-century
font
In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a typeface. Each font is a matched set of type, with a piece (a "sort") for each glyph. A typeface consists of a range of such fonts that shared an overall design.
In mod ...
.
Also, there is a west gallery held up by
cast-iron columns.
The churchyard contains a set of 17th-century
stocks
Stocks are feet restraining devices that were used as a form of corporal punishment and public humiliation. The use of stocks is seen as early as Ancient Greece, where they are described as being in use in Solon's law code. The law describing ...
.
See also
*
List of ecclesiastical parishes in the Diocese of Bath and Wells
References
External links
{{Commons category, St Mary's church, Wambrook
Wambrook Parish Church
Grade II* listed buildings in South Somerset
Wambrook, Saint Mary
Wambrook, Saint Mary