Church of St Peter, Marksbury
Encyclopedia
The Church of St Peter in Marksbury
, Somerset
, England dates from the 12th century, although most of the current fabric is from the 15th century and is a Grade II* listed building.
The nave has two 2-light windows under hood mould
s flanking a blocked, moulded round-headed door under a plaque dated 1627. The buttress
ed, off-centre chancel
, which is out of line with the nave, has a three-light east window from 1875, which was also when the chancel arch and chancel roof were replaced. The organ chamber was built in 1893. The alter is a Jacobean
oak table by Francis Leyborne Popham who died in 1880. A second alter table, which was previously in the church at Stanton Prior
, was placed in the tower. The font
is Norman
.
The three stage tower is supported by diagonal buttress
es to the first stage, a canted stair turret
in the return of tower and nave and a very small west door with a canted flat arch under a two-light, chamfer
ed mullion window dating from 1634. The second stage has a cusped two-light window with heavy louvres to the north, a blocked single light to the east and two-light chamfered, vaguely pointed windows south and west. The third stage has one large, round headed window with raised architrave
and louvres on each side, thin, embattled parapet
dominated by four pyramidal pinnacle
s with vanes. The spikes above the tower angles were added in the 18th century. The four bells in the tower in 1782 were sent to the Bilbie family
of Chew Stoke
to be recast and additional metal added to make a set of six bells. The tenor bell was cracked in 1820 and recast in London. In the early 20th century a new roof was put on the tower and the bells rehung.
There are several monuments in the chancel including those to Counsell, 1671, and Wadden, 1682. In the nave is a monument to Boulter 1782, by Brewer of Box
. Reverend William Counsell was the rector (1662–74). Francis Popham, of Littlecote House
, died at Hunstrete
House in 1779 and was buried in the chancel of the church.
An unidentified monument in the churchyard is also listed by English Heritage
.
Marksbury
Marksbury is a small village and civil parish in Somerset about from Keynsham and from Bath on the A39 where it meets the A368. The parish, which includes the villages of Hunstrete and Stanton Prior, has a population of 399.- 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 dates from the 12th century, although most of the current fabric is from the 15th century and is a Grade II* listed building.
The nave has two 2-light windows under hood mould
Hood mould
In architecture, a hood mould, also called a label mould or dripstone, is an external moulded projection from a wall over an opening to throw off rainwater...
s flanking a blocked, moulded round-headed door under a plaque dated 1627. The buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
ed, off-centre 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...
, which is out of line with the nave, has a three-light east window from 1875, which was also when the chancel arch and chancel roof were replaced. The organ chamber was built in 1893. The alter is a Jacobean
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
oak table by Francis Leyborne Popham who died in 1880. A second alter table, which was previously in the church at Stanton Prior
Stanton Prior
Stanton Prior is a small village, within the civil parish of Marksbury, set in Duchy of Cornwall countryside, south west from the UK city of Bath, Somerset....
, was placed in the tower. The font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
is Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
.
The three stage tower is supported by diagonal buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es to the first stage, a canted stair turret
Turret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
in the return of tower and nave and a very small west door with a canted flat arch under a two-light, 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 mullion window dating from 1634. The second stage has a cusped two-light window with heavy louvres to the north, a blocked single light to the east and two-light chamfered, vaguely pointed windows south and west. The third stage has one large, round headed window with raised architrave
Architrave
An architrave is the lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of the columns. It is an architectural element in Classical architecture.-Classical architecture:...
and louvres on each side, thin, embattled 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...
dominated by four pyramidal pinnacle
Pinnacle
A pinnacle is an architectural ornament originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire...
s with vanes. The spikes above the tower angles were added in the 18th century. The four bells in the tower in 1782 were sent to the Bilbie family
Bilbie family
The Bilbie family were bell founders and clockmakers based initially in Chew Stoke, Somerset and later at Cullompton, Devon in south-west England from the late 17th century to the early 19th century....
of Chew Stoke
Chew Stoke
Chew Stoke is a small village and civil parish in the Chew Valley, in Somerset, England, about south of Bristol. It is at the northern edge of the Mendip Hills, a region designated by the United Kingdom as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and is within the Bristol/Bath green belt...
to be recast and additional metal added to make a set of six bells. The tenor bell was cracked in 1820 and recast in London. In the early 20th century a new roof was put on the tower and the bells rehung.
There are several monuments in the chancel including those to Counsell, 1671, and Wadden, 1682. In the nave is a monument to Boulter 1782, by Brewer of Box
Box, Wiltshire
Box is a village located in Wiltshire, England, about east of Bath and west of Chippenham. It is quite a large parish with several settlements, apart from the village of Box, within its boundaries....
. Reverend William Counsell was the rector (1662–74). Francis Popham, of Littlecote House
Littlecote House
Littlecote House is a large Elizabethan country house and estate in the civil parishes of Ramsbury and Chilton Foliat in the English county of Wiltshire near to Hungerford. The estate includes 34 hectares of historic parklands and gardens, including a walled garden from the 17th and 18th centuries...
, died at Hunstrete
Hunstrete
Hunstrete is a small village on the River Chew in the Chew Valley, Bath and North East Somerset, England. It falls within the civil parish of Marksbury and is 8 miles from Bristol, and Bath, and 5 miles from Keynsham.- History :...
House in 1779 and was buried in the chancel of the church.
An unidentified monument in the churchyard is also listed by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
.