Church of Saint Andrew, High Ham
Encyclopedia
The Church of Saint Andrew is an Anglican
parish church
located on Turnhill Road, in High Ham
, Somerset
, England. It shows evidence of 12th and 14th century building and was largely rebuilt in 1476. On 17 April 1959, it was designated as a Grade I listed building.
. The date 1474 is recorded in an inscription on the tomb of the rector who re-built it. The rebuilding of the church in 1476 took about one year and was performed under John Selwood, then Abbot of Glaston
, who was also the patron and donor of the rectory. The rector John Dyer built the present chancel
in 1476.
The rector Adrian Schall wrote a memoir about the church in 1598. Some 19th century restoration
work was done by John Norton.
. There are north and south aisles, a south porch, and a west tower. Building materials include local lias stone
and hamstone
. The main roofs are composed of Welsh slate
with moulded coped gable
s, battlemented parapet
s. The aisle and porch roofs are of sheet lead
.
The tower dates from the early 14th century, and is in three stages. It is squat with triple plinth bands, parapets, corner gargoyles, angled and straight buttresses.
The chancel was built in 1499. It has a double plinth
course, gargoyle
s, parapets, coped gables, and angled buttresses. Each buttress had an east window of five-light panes; the north and south sections had three-light windows. The chancel was built with a moulded king post
truss
roof and many rosette
s, angels and other carvings. The wide panelled chancel arch has a well preserved Devon-style timber screen.
The north aisle has similar features as the chancel with double plinth eaves course, gargoyles, battlements, buttresses, and three-light windows of standard tracery
in hollowed pointed-arched recesses. The nave
dates from 1476; it is visible as a clerestorey and includes three-light windows. 15th century stained glass
fragments are found in the east window tracery, and there are also late 17th century windows resembling those of Low Ham Church
. There is a small, almost triangular, arched, moulded doorway, an arched chamfer
ed doorway, and a near semi-circular arched doorway with 19th century wrought iron
gates. Other features of note include a canopied statue niche with a 19th century figure and an empty statue niches
along the east wall.
bench ends. The pulpit
and lectern
are also of the 19th century. There is a canopied stoup, and a 12th century lead-lined tulip bowl font
on a stem with rope moulding. The church has five bells cast in ca.1500, 1641, 1763, 1795, and 1877. A brass engraving in the chancel floor is dedicated to the rector John Dyer (died 1499) who paid for the rebuilding of the chancel.
The Gillet Monument is a late 18th century altar tomb with an obelisk
made of hamstone and it is located in the churchyard, 17 m (55.8 ft) southwest of the tower. The Swain Travers Monument is also located in the churchyard, just east of the chancel; it is a 19th century chest tomb, a possibly reuse of an 18th century tomb. An unidentified late 17th century monument in the churchyard is located just south of the chancel.
Adding to the setting of the churchyard which it abuts is a portion of the east boundary wall, to Ham Court, 15 m (49.2 ft) south of the church. Also historically important is the section of the south boundary wall with railings, 15 m (49.2 ft) south of the church, with cast iron railings and patterned with cross/Fleur-de-lis
caps.
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
located on Turnhill Road, in High Ham
High Ham
High Ham is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. Within the parish of High Ham are the villages of High Ham and Low Ham and the hamlets of Bowdens, Henley, Paradise and Picts Hill.-History:...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England. It shows evidence of 12th and 14th century building and was largely rebuilt in 1476. On 17 April 1959, it was designated as a Grade I listed building.
History
The church is built in the Perpendicular styleEnglish Gothic architecture
English Gothic is the name of the architectural style that flourished in England from about 1180 until about 1520.-Introduction:As with the Gothic architecture of other parts of Europe, English Gothic is defined by its pointed arches, vaulted roofs, buttresses, large windows, and spires...
. The date 1474 is recorded in an inscription on the tomb of the rector who re-built it. The rebuilding of the church in 1476 took about one year and was performed under John Selwood, then Abbot of Glaston
Glastonbury Abbey
Glastonbury Abbey was a monastery in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. The ruins are now a grade I listed building, and a Scheduled Ancient Monument and are open as a visitor attraction....
, who was also the patron and donor of the rectory. The rector John Dyer built the present chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
in 1476.
The rector Adrian Schall wrote a memoir about the church in 1598. Some 19th century restoration
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
work was done by John Norton.
Structure
The design is a four-cell plan with a three-bay chancel, and five-bay naveNave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
. There are north and south aisles, a south porch, and a west tower. Building materials include local lias stone
Blue Lias
The Blue Lias is a geologic formation in southern, eastern and western England and parts of South Wales, part of the Lias Group. The Blue Lias consists of a sequence of limestone and shale layers, laid down in latest Triassic and early Jurassic times, between 195 and 200 million years ago...
and hamstone
Hamstone
Hamstone is the colloquial name given to stone from Ham Hill, Somerset, England. Hamstone is a Jurassic limestone from the Toarcian, or Upper Lias, stage. It is a well cemented medium to coarse grained limestone characterised by its honey-gold colour and marked bedding planes. The stone contains...
. The main roofs are composed of Welsh slate
Slate industry in Wales
The slate industry in Wales began during the Roman period when slate was used to roof the fort at Segontium, now Caernarfon. The slate industry grew slowly until the early 18th century, then expanded rapidly until the late 19th century, at which time the most important slate producing areas were in...
with moulded coped gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
s, battlemented parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
s. The aisle and porch roofs are of sheet lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
.
The tower dates from the early 14th century, and is in three stages. It is squat with triple plinth bands, parapets, corner gargoyles, angled and straight buttresses.
The chancel was built in 1499. It has a double plinth
Plinth
In architecture, a plinth is the base or platform upon which a column, pedestal, statue, monument or structure rests. Gottfried Semper's The Four Elements of Architecture posited that the plinth, the hearth, the roof, and the wall make up all of architectural theory. The plinth usually rests...
course, gargoyle
Gargoyle
In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone grotesque, usually made of granite, with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between...
s, parapets, coped gables, and angled buttresses. Each buttress had an east window of five-light panes; the north and south sections had three-light windows. The chancel was built with a moulded king post
King post
A king post is a central vertical supporting post used in architectural, bridge, or aircraft design applications.-Architecture:...
truss
Truss
In architecture and structural engineering, a truss is a structure comprising one or more triangular units constructed with straight members whose ends are connected at joints referred to as nodes. External forces and reactions to those forces are considered to act only at the nodes and result in...
roof and many rosette
Rosette (design)
A rosette is a round, stylized flower design, used extensively in sculptural objects from antiquity. Appearing in Mesopotamia and used to decorate the funeral stele in Ancient Greece...
s, angels and other carvings. The wide panelled chancel arch has a well preserved Devon-style timber screen.
The north aisle has similar features as the chancel with double plinth eaves course, gargoyles, battlements, buttresses, and three-light windows of standard tracery
Tracery
In architecture, Tracery is the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window. The term probably derives from the 'tracing floors' on which the complex patterns of late Gothic windows were laid out.-Plate tracery:...
in hollowed pointed-arched recesses. The nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
dates from 1476; it is visible as a clerestorey and includes three-light windows. 15th century stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
fragments are found in the east window tracery, and there are also late 17th century windows resembling those of Low Ham Church
Church without dedication, High Ham
The Church without dedication at Low Ham in the parish of High Ham, Somerset, England was formerly a private chapel to the manor. It stands on the site of an earlier church, and was started in the early 17th century, damaged in the English Civil War, and completed in 1690...
. There is a small, almost triangular, arched, moulded doorway, an arched chamfer
Chamfer
A chamfer is a beveled edge connecting two surfaces. If the surfaces are at right angles, the chamfer will typically be symmetrical at 45 degrees. A fillet is the rounding off of an interior corner. A rounding of an exterior corner is called a "round" or a "radius"."Chamfer" is a term commonly...
ed doorway, and a near semi-circular arched doorway with 19th century wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
gates. Other features of note include a canopied statue niche with a 19th century figure and an empty statue niches
Niche (architecture)
A niche in classical architecture is an exedra or an apse that has been reduced in size, retaining the half-dome heading usual for an apse. Nero's Domus Aurea was the first semi-private dwelling that possessed rooms that were given richly varied floor plans, shaped with niches and exedras;...
along the east wall.
Fittings and furniture
Choir stalls are of the 15th century as are many of the pewPew
A pew is a long bench seat or enclosed box used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a church, or sometimes in a courtroom.-Overview:Churches were not commonly furnished with permanent pews before the Protestant Reformation...
bench ends. The pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
and lectern
Lectern
A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, usually placed on a stand or affixed to some other form of support, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon...
are also of the 19th century. There is a canopied stoup, and a 12th century lead-lined tulip bowl font
Holy water font
A holy water font or stoup is a vessel containing holy water generally placed near the entrance of a church. It is used in Catholic Church and Lutheran churches, as well as some Anglican churches to make the Sign of the Cross using the holy water upon entrance and exit...
on a stem with rope moulding. The church has five bells cast in ca.1500, 1641, 1763, 1795, and 1877. A brass engraving in the chancel floor is dedicated to the rector John Dyer (died 1499) who paid for the rebuilding of the chancel.
Churchyard
There are several Grade II listed structures, enlisted 7 February 1986, in and by the churchyard.The Gillet Monument is a late 18th century altar tomb with an obelisk
Obelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
made of hamstone and it is located in the churchyard, 17 m (55.8 ft) southwest of the tower. The Swain Travers Monument is also located in the churchyard, just east of the chancel; it is a 19th century chest tomb, a possibly reuse of an 18th century tomb. An unidentified late 17th century monument in the churchyard is located just south of the chancel.
Adding to the setting of the churchyard which it abuts is a portion of the east boundary wall, to Ham Court, 15 m (49.2 ft) south of the church. Also historically important is the section of the south boundary wall with railings, 15 m (49.2 ft) south of the church, with cast iron railings and patterned with cross/Fleur-de-lis
Fleur-de-lis
The fleur-de-lis or fleur-de-lys is a stylized lily or iris that is used as a decorative design or symbol. It may be "at one and the same time, political, dynastic, artistic, emblematic, and symbolic", especially in heraldry...
caps.
See also
Further reading
- Crossman, C. D. (1894). Adrian Schaell's Memoir of High Ham Church and Rectory, AD 1598. Taunton: Barnicott and Pearce for the Society.