Church of St Mary the Virgin, Norton-sub-Hamdon

The Church of St Mary the Virgin stands in the Somerset village of Norton-sub-Hamdon. Its earliest parts date from the 13th century, but most of what visitors see today comes from a rebuilding around 1510. English Heritage has given it Grade I listed status, marking it as a building of exceptional interest. The church’s five-stage tower, added about 1485, rises just under 30 metres and once bore the scars of a lightning strike and fire in 1894. Skilled craftsmen restored it within a year, keeping the original design intact. The church is worth the journey for its fine Perpendicular architecture and the story of its survival. The tower’s offset buttresses and battlemented parapet frame a skyline that has watched over the village for centuries. Restoration work by Henry Wilson in 1894 and again in 1904 ensured the building remained in use. Among its more unusual features is a 17th-century dovecote in the churchyard, once linked to a manor house now gone. The graveyard also holds the grave of Paddy Ashdown, former leader of the Liberal Democrats and High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Inside, the church offers a quiet space with simple furnishings and clear lines of medieval craftsmanship. The restored tower dominates the view, its pinnacles and gargoyles adding detail to the skyline. The dovecote, now freestanding, stands as a reminder of the estate that once surrounded the church. Visitors can walk the churchyard paths and see the graves, including that of Ashdown, set among grass and mature trees. The surrounding village of Norton-sub-Hamdon adds to the sense of stepping into a settled, unhurried part of Somerset.