Church of St Mary, Yatton
Encyclopedia
The Church of St Mary in central Yatton
, Somerset
, England is often called the 'Cathedral of the Moors' due to its size and grandeur in relation to the village. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building.
While the current church was constructed in the 14th century, it is likely that a previous Christian
church was located on the same site.
The tower, which was built around 1400, has three stages with diagonal weathered buttress
es with crocket
ed pinnacle
s. There is a south-east hexagonal stair turret
rising above the parapet with panelled sides to the top, and an open cusped parapet. Unusually for Somerset a Dundry
stone steeple was built in 1455-56, of stone. In 1595 freemasons were engaged to take down the spire and reduce it to its present dimensions. The tower was damaged by fire in 1991.
Yatton
Yatton is a village and civil parish within the unitary authority of North Somerset, which falls within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located south-west of Bristol. Its population in 2001 was 9,176...
, 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 is often called the 'Cathedral of the Moors' due to its size and grandeur in relation to the village. It has been designated 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...
as a Grade I listed building.
While the current church was constructed in the 14th century, it is likely that a previous Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
church was located on the same site.
The tower, which was built around 1400, has three stages with diagonal weathered buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es with crocket
Crocket
A crocket is a hook-shaped decorative element common in Gothic architecture. It is in the form of a stylised carving of curled leaves, buds or flowers which is used at regular intervals to decorate the sloping edges of spires, finials, pinnacles, and wimpergs....
ed 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. There is a south-east hexagonal 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...
rising above the parapet with panelled sides to the top, and an open cusped parapet. Unusually for Somerset a Dundry
Dundry
Dundry is a village and civil parish, situated on Dundry Hill in the northern part of the Mendip Hills, between Bristol and the Chew Valley Lake, in the English county of Somerset. The parish includes the hamlets of Maiden Head and East Dundry...
stone steeple was built in 1455-56, of stone. In 1595 freemasons were engaged to take down the spire and reduce it to its present dimensions. The tower was damaged by fire in 1991.