In 2004, before stonework conservation. The doorway is in yellow Ham Stone and is medieval (see below for details). The cream Bath stone nieches and the roofline are Victorian. The round Star-of-David window in Bath Stone is probably a Victorian copy of an original – it appears on engravings of the church from the 1820s and 1830s before the Victorian interventions. The original was probably made from yellow Ham Stone.
The North Porch in 2016. The outer arch, the columns and the heads date to the 13th century, while the tracery within (‘tympanum’) with its supporting arch and green men, dates to the 14th century.
The North Porch in 2016. The roofline, with its gargoyles and balistrade, along with the two empty statue nieches, are all Victorian insertions.
East side of the North Door. Note the Green man sat at the bottom of the arch, a vine protruding from his ear.
West side of the North Door. Again, note the corresponding Green man.
Ecclesiastical effigies to the left and right of the north door The shape of the headgear suggests an early 13th century, and that the effigies are of two popes. These presumably refer to two specific Popes, although which ones are unclear. See Joseph Strutt, The regal and ecclesiastical antiquities of England (1793), plates IX and X. Strutt appears to have copied many of his images from the Queen Mary Psalter manuscript (Royal 2B vii, in the British Library). In these the Pope can be seen wearing a pointed, bobbled hat with a single crown at the base. A second crown, as can be seen with our Bridgwater Popes, was added the hat by either Pope Innocent III (1198–1216) or Boniface VIII (1294-1303), asserting both spiritual and worldly power. The third crown was added by either Pope Benedict XI (1303–1304) or Pope Clement V (1305–1314). For more on Papal Tiaras see here.
Fortunately this papal iconography had been forgotten by the time of the Reformation, and these figures were spared the iconoclasm of zelous Protestants.
Brakspear’s drawing of January 1854 scale 8 ft to 1 inch approx. The red elements on this plan show medieval features removed by Brakspear. The three buttresses were replaced by a single corner buttress. As such, most of the blue lias stonework that can be seen today will be a Victorian re-build around the original features – the original stonework or red Wembdon sandstone, can be seen on the adjoining wall.
Dr Peter Cattermole, 18 July 2005. Revised by MKP 18 July 2020
