Stoke St Gregory History Pages
St Gregory's Church
A little walk through our parish church
* New October 2024 - the Victorian Renovation * Click HERE
The historians tell us that the present church is maybe the third one to be built on this site, the first being in Saxon times, when Gregory Stoke, or East Curry, was part of the Manor of North Curry, which also included West Hatch. The present church was built in the early 14th Century, modelled on its mother church in North Curry - cruciform with a squat octagonal central tower. New windows and the upper part of the tower were added in the 15th Century (the figures in the niches were not added until the 19th Century).
The church is entered through the single storey diagonally buttressed porch, which has a sundial above the outer doorway. The quatrefoil pierced parapet is matched around the whole building.
The impressive inner door is an early example with the hinges stretching across the whole door.
Above the door is the figure of St (Pope) Gregory, writing in a book with a dove beside him. He was well known for his learning when he was Pope.
The clerestory windows were put in when the church was enlarged in the 15th Century. The original line of the roof can be seen on the west wall of the tower.
The two types of wagon roof: the roof in the Nave with moulded ribs, and the ribbed wagon roof of the Chancel. The modern roof is in the South Transept and dates from the restoration in the 1880s. Also here is one of the carved wooden bosses on the Chancel roof
The tower was also strengthened in the 19th Century restoration, carried out by Houghton Spencer. The blocked arch between the north aisle and the Transept was also opened up, and the West Gallery, which would originally housed the choir or band of musicians, was removed. The picture here shows two of the 'squinches' supporting the tower.
The font, made of Ham limestone is from the mid 14th Century. The pulpit is Jacobean with carved figures on five of its panels. These represent Time, Faith, Hope , Charity, and a fifth figure which is thought to be an Angel receiving the soul of Adam. The corresponding panels below hold the symbols of an hour glass, a spear, an anchor [is that where we get the pub name 'Hope & Anchor'?], dove, and apple.
Before you go, don't forget to check out the bench ends. When the pews were renewed to 'modern' standards, many of the original Elizabethan bench ends were saved and reused. Here are a few examples.
The Victorian Restoration
St Gregory’s Church in Stoke is first recorded in a Wells document dated St Mark’s Day 1223, but very little of the original building is still standing. We think just the lower part of the tower and the lower parts of the chancel and transepts. Most of the present building is late 15th or early 16th centuries, but earlier stonework may well be found below the present floor level.
The Western Gazette was quite excited at the prospect of St Gregory’s Church undergoing renovation: "The interior of the Parish Church is about to undergo restoration. Among the improvements proposed are the removal of the gallery and organ at the west end, and the re-erection of the former in the north transept. This will open to view the west window, so long partially hidden by the organ. The arch in the north aisle is to be re-opened, and the tower pillar strengthened by means of an inverted arch and buttress. A plan for heating the church is also under consideration. Subscriptions have been sent in most liberally by the parishioners, so as to carry out these long needed improvements."
This was obviously an attempt to restore original features, rather than a more common Victorian intention to ‘improve’ a church.
The loft, which would have originally housed the quire ( a group of singers and instrumentalists, including we are told a bassoon) was built in 1709. The picture shows the west end of the nave, where it would have been sited. The vicar at the time was Ezra Pierce and the churchwardens John Collins, largest village landowner, and Thomas Fure. The date and names were found on a beam of the gallery when it was taken down. The ‘filling up of the arch’ had happened in March 1671, when Henry Owen was vicar and Robert Hill and John Biddell were churchwardens.
The internal plaster was removed, which was evidently of a later date than the walls, as the Ham stone dressings round the windows had been scoured roughly, to give the plaster a better grip. Because of the removal of the plaster, many interesting features were brought back into view and it made it easier to date the various parts of the building. For example, in the walls of the tower, freed from plaster and pointed, the Blue Lias limestone used by the Perpendicular builders could now be seen on top of the local grey sandstone (from Knapp Quarry just up from the Rising Sun), used by the Early English builders.
The lead on the lower portion of the tower was recast and relaid, and although one of the eight niches in the older part of the tower, in the other seven were placed statues of various saints of the early church: St Mathew, St Andrew (facing towrds his catherdral church of Wells), St Peter, St James (Facing east towards Jerusalem where he was the first Bishop), St John, St Paul and St Philip. These are all carved in red Farleigh stone, a type of Bath limestone.
The arch at the east end of the north aisle had been blocked up in the 17th century, when a defect in the lower part of the tower became apparent. With the work done to the tower to make it more stable, it was now possible to unblock it and place the organ beneath.
The 15th century wagon headed roof was also stripped of its plaster, and the spaces between the rafter boarded with oak, on felt.
One final point you might look out for is the lowering of the existing floor level. This must have been raised during the centuries, as the restoration uncovered some interesting moulding on one of the tower pillars that had previously been covered.
The architect was J Houghton Spencer, of Taunton, and the builder H J Spiller, also of Taunton. The cost was over £900, although only £400 had been raised by the time of the opening in July 1888.
