The Church of the Holy Ghost in Crowcombe,

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 dating from the 14th century with the rest of the building being dated at the 15th century. It has been designated by

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked with prot ...

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 ...

. There was a previous church on the site, possible dating from the Saxon era. The north chapel is known as the Carew Chapel and was used by the lords of the manor who lived in the nearby Crowcombe Court. In 1724 the spire was damaged by a lightning strike. The top section of the spire was removed and is now planted in the churchyard and stone from the spire was used in the flooring of the church. Inside the church carved bench-ends, dating from 1534, depict such pagan subjects as the Green Man and the legend of the men of Crowcombe fighting a two-headed

dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...

. In the churchyard is a medieval cross. The octagonal high shaft sits on a base of three steps. 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 ...

. The parish is part of the Quantock Towers

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 Quantock deanery. Opposite the church is the Church House and Pound which was built around 1515 for parish functions. It is a Grade II*

and was refurbished in 2007. The family of noted Battle of Britain pilot Peter Townsend (later linked romantically with

Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. She was the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II. ...

) lived in Crowcombe during Townsend's teenage years. In a memoir of his youth, he writes movingly of his father's death in the family home, when Townsend was 19, and of the care shown the family by the Congregation:

They came, the village sexton and the pall-bearers, to the house, bringing with them a simple, old-fashioned bier – a hand-barrow upon which they set my father’s coffin. Through the village they took him on his last journey to the church where, as evening fell, they laid him before the altar. hen, the evening before the service, Townsend and one of his sisters paid a last, private, homage to their father. . . peace filled the little mediaeval church, with its narrow pews and oaken benches, lavishly carved at their ends, where we had worshipped at my father’s side. Beside our pew, in the aisle, a stone slab marked the vault of the Sweeting family . . . They buried my father next day . . . I led the little cortège down the aisle. The massive oak door creaked open and we moved out into the sunlight . . . I am glad that my father – and, later, my mother – were laid to rest in Crowcombe, for the village . . . entered into my soul. I felt a regular villager. With my father at rest in the bosom of his beloved West Country, I again took to the air.Townsend, Peter. Time and Chance: An Autobiography (p. 75). (London: Colliers, 1978), pp. 74-75

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crowcombe, Holy Ghost 15th-century church buildings in England Towers completed in the 14th century Church of England church buildings in West Somerset Grade I listed churches in Somerset Grade I listed buildings in West Somerset

See also

References