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Church of the Holy Cross

A Grade II* Listed Building in Babcary, Somerset

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Coordinates

Latitude: 51.0566 / 51°3'23"N

Longitude: -2.6271 / 2°37'37"W

OS Eastings: 356148

OS Northings: 128774

OS Grid: ST561287

Mapcode National: GBR MP.FN8G

Mapcode Global: FRA 56DB.6CC

Plus Code: 9C3V394F+M5

Entry Name: Church of the Holy Cross

Listing Date: 17 April 1959

Grade: II*

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1277940

English Heritage Legacy ID: 263325

Also known as: Church of the Holy Cross, Babcary

ID on this website: 101277940

Location: Holy Cross Church, Babcary, Somerset, TA11

County: Somerset

District: South Somerset

Civil Parish: Babcary

Traditional County: Somerset

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Somerset

Tagged with: Church building

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Description


ST52NE BABCARY CP CHURCH STREET (West side

3/6

Church of the Holy Cross
17.4.59

GV II*

Anglican parish church. Pre-conquest origins; fabric of C14, C15 with chancel and north aisle added in C19, latter by
Benjamin Ferrey in 1875-6. Local lias stone cut and squared, Doulting stone dressings: stone slate roofs between
stepped coped gables having cross finials. Three-cell plan of 2-bay chancel and 3-bay nave and north aisle, with west
tower and south porch. Chancel may incorporate early work (church described as having nave only in 1822): rough plinth,
no buttresses; 3-light early C15 style traceried east window under arched label with square stops; above a store block
with sundial, set on skew on iron bracket; on north side two 2-light windows, the east flat-arched with cinquefoil
cusped lights under square label with headstops, the west matches east window; on south side two 2-light early C15
style printed arched windows with square stop labels, and between them a small doorway with moulded 4-centre arches:
head under square stopped label. The C19 north aisle has a plinth, angled corner buttresses with moulded offsets:
2-light arched window matching the chancel window in the east wall, with plain stop label and external terrmenta
this could be a reset C15 window: the north wall has a shallow coping over eaves moulding with gargoyles; the centre
bay has a 3-light and the others 2-light windows with C16 style tracery of ogees and quatrefoils to flat arched lights
with deep square labels to foliated stops: no west window to aisle. Nave has chamfered plinth, bay buttresses with
moulded offsets; in south wall the eastern window is 3-light possibly C15, with ogee traceried flat arched window in
hollowed recess under square label with animal stops; western window is a C19 version of the chancel windows of
2-light: between these the south porch, which has angled corner buttresses, moulded pointed outer arch and plain
chamfered inner arch; the roof probably C15, an archbraced collar truss of 2 bays with moulded main members and various
timber bosses; bench seats, a small open cusped lancet in east wall, and early C20 gate with traceried panels. Tower
could be C14: 3 stages, with plinth, string courses, with gargoyles to top string, shallow battlemented parapet; angled
corner buttresses 2 stages high; square plan north-east stair turret with 3 slit windows and two double quatrefoil
pierced panels: on west face low moulded pointed arched doorway with arched label, and above a 3-light C15 traceried
window in slightly hollowed recess under arched label extended as side string; the other sides plain on first stage
second stage has small 4-centre arched 2-light window in south side only: stage 3 has similar 2-light windows each
face, with wood louvres, and with a small doorway of unknown purpose on south face. Interior largely C19 in character:
chance1 austere, with C19 arch braced collar truss roof; early C14 tall pointed arched piscina with stone shelf
chancel arch nearly 4-centred, with small centre shaft columns and turned caps; door to former rood loft in north wall.
Nave arcade C19, with bell-cap stilted segmental arches, C19 roof; tall moulded pointed tower arch with stiff-leaf
foliage capitals to full-length shafts; north aisle unplastered. Fittings include octagonal panelled wood pulpit dated
1632; font probably C14, octagonal with quatrefoil panelled faces, traceried underbowl and rather slim traceried
octagonal shalt on C19 base. First recorded rector 1319: Parson Woodforde, diarist, was curate here from January 1764
to October 1765. (Pevsner, Buildings of England, South and West Somerset, 1958; C and J Greenwood, Somerset Delineated,
1822).


Listing NGR: ST5614828774

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