Church of St Mary, Nempnett Thrubwell

The Church of St Mary stands on Knap Hill in the small village of Nempnett Thrubwell, Somerset. It dates from the 15th century but occupies the site of an earlier Norman church. The building is listed Grade II* and has a three-stage tower with five bells. The tower features set-back buttresses and two arched openings with tracery. A parapet with blank arcading and square pinnacles crowns the tower, which also includes a slightly taller stair turret. The nave was restored in 1864, and the late Victorian chancel was added in 1897 in the decorated style. The church’s history is tied to Flaxley Abbey in Gloucestershire before the dissolution of the monasteries. In 1537, the land and manor were granted to Sir William Kingston. Parish records begin in 1568 with christenings, marriages and burials. Inside, a screen is attributed to Pugin, though Nikolaus Pevsner suggests it may be the work of Pugin the younger. The churchyard holds the base of a 15th-century cross, also listed Grade II. Visitors find a small but striking building with a Perpendicular-style west tower. Two carved heads of a man and beast project from the west face of the tower. The nave walls still bear original 13th-century consecration crosses. The modern chancel contains a rich screen and a Munich glass east window. Near the porch, the base of an ancient cross and the tomb of the first rector, Robert, can be seen. The Norman south doorway is filled with Perpendicular tracery, and the font features a curious carved device by a later craftsman.