St Mary's church was probably established as part of the reorganisation of Taunton by Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester, by 1180,[2] and has been the town church since 1308.[3] Prior to 1308 the church was dependent on the AugustinianTaunton Priory.[4] A new chapel was consecrated in 1437.[5]
It is built of sandstone and has a painted interior. Most of the statues and stained glass date from the Victorian restoration.[6] Within the church are a variety of memorials and tablets including War Memorials for soldiers from Somerset, including the Somerset Light Infantry.[2]
The tower was built around 1503,[7] financed by the prosperity created by the wool trade,[8] and was rebuilt in 1858–1862 (in replica) by Sir George Gilbert Scott and Benjamin Ferrey,[1] using Otter sandstone from Sir Alexander hood's quarry at Williton and some Igneous Diorite from Hestercombe.[9] It is considered to be one of the best examples of a Somerset tower and is a local landmark.[1][10] The tower is 131 feet (40 metres) high to the roof and 158 feet (48 metres) high to the tips of the pinnacles. [11]
The tower was described by Simon Jenkins, an acknowledged authority on English churches, as being "the noblest parish tower in England".[12] The tower itself has 15 bells and a clock mechanism.
12 are hung for full-circle ringing, tenor 27 long cwt 2 qr 18 lb (3,098 lb or 1,405 kg) tuned to D.[13] In addition there is a "flat 6th" which allows bells 2–9 to be rung as a lighter 8. The ringing bells, along with two additional bells form a chime, also (though technically incorrectly) referred to as a carillon.[14] The present ring of bells were cast by Taylors of Loughborough in 2016.[8][15] There is also an older display bell cast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in 1922.[13]
The church has suffered from the weather over the years and there have been various appeals for funding to repair the fabric of the building including one for £135,000, to repair the tower's stonework after two pinnacles fell through the roof.[16] In 2009 vandals damaged some of the windows of the church, however the stained glass, which includes fragments from the medieval era were undamaged as they are protected by wire mesh.[17]
Joseph Alleine the noted Puritan minister and author was curate of the church in the 1660s[18] and is buried in the churchyard.[19]John Boswell, a Tory and high church writer, served as vicar at the church from 1727 until his death in 1757. He is buried in the churchyard and is commemorated with a Latin inscription within the church.[20]
^Poyntz Wright, Peter (1981). The Parish Church Towers of Somerset, Their construction, craftsmanship and chronology 1350 – 1550. Avebury Publishing Company. ISBN0-86127-502-0.
^Dunning, Robert (2007). Somerset Churches and Chapels: Building Repair and Restoration. Halsgrove. p. 26. ISBN978-1-84114-592-1.
^Leete-Hodge, Lornie (1985). Curiosities of Somerset. Bodmin: Bossiney Books. p. 70. ISBN0-906456-98-3.
^Flannery, Julian (2016). Fifty English Steeples: The Finest Medieval Parish Church Towers and Spires in England. New York City, New York, United States: Thames and Hudson. pp. 392–401. ISBN978-0-500-34314-2.
^Jenkins, Simon (2000). England's Thousand Best Churches. Penguin Books. p. 617. ISBN0-14-029795-2.
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