The parish church of St Michael the Archangel in Dundry,

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

, England has a tower which was built in 1484, with the rest dated 1861. It has been designated as a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

History

The four-stage tower was erected, around 1484, as a landmark and is visible from many parts of Avon. The rest of the church was built in 1861 by G.B. Gabriel, replacing the previous medieval building. The church became part of a joint benefice with the Church of St Andrew, Chew Magna in 1977 and in 2000 were joined by Holy Trinity Church, Norton Malreward. In 2015 the church was closed because of safety concerns due to falling plaster from the ceiling. Repairs to the roof were estimated to cost £225,000. Following a fundraising campaign, which included grants from the

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

and others, the church was able to re-open in September 2018 after extensive renovations. Church of St Michael Dundry 2018 Extension Construction Stone

Church of St Michael Dundry 2018 Extension Construction Stone

Churchyard

Outside the church is a cube of dressed stone, from

Dundry Main Road South Quarry Dundry Main Road South Quarry () is a 0.7 hectare geological Site of Special Scientific Interest near the village of East Dundry, North Somerset, notified in 1974. The quarry was cited in the 19th century by d'Orbigny as the English "type sec ...

. It known as the dole table, which was used to give

alms Alms (, ) are money, food, or other material goods donated to people living in poverty. Providing alms is often considered an act of Charity (practice), charity. The act of providing alms is called almsgiving. Etymology The word ''alms'' come ...

to the poor. There is also a high churchyard cross on an octagonal base. The head of the cross was installed in the 19th century to the same design as one which had previously occupied the site. It has been scheduled as an

ancient monument An ancient monument can refer to any early or historical manmade structure or architecture. Certain ancient monuments are of cultural importance for nations and become symbols of international recognition, including the Baalbek, ruins of Baalbek ...

Chest tomb Funerary art is any work of art forming, or placed in, a repository for the remains of the dead. The term encompasses a wide variety of forms, including cenotaphs ("empty tombs"), tomb-like monuments which do not contain human remains, and comm ...

s in the churchyard include those to the Dowling family which is thought to date from the mid 18th century, and one of the same age to the Holbrook family.

Architecture

The four-stage tower is high and is a prominent feature in its hill-top position with its tower visible for many miles around. It is supported by

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 (typically Gothic) buildings, as a means of providing support to act ...

es and is topped by four corner turrets with a polygonal north east stair turret. The earliest of the six bells in the tower was made in 1642. The church consists 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 ...

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

, and chapel, with north and south

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

s all surmounted by slate roofs.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dundry, Saint Michael Church of England church buildings in North Somerset 15th-century church buildings in England Grade I listed churches in Somerset Grade I listed buildings in North Somerset Towers completed in the 15th century Buildings and structures completed in 1448 Churches completed in the 1440s

History

Churchyard

Architecture

See also

References