Church of St Peter and St Paul, Over Stowey

Church Of St Peter And St Paul in Over Stowey, Somerset, England, is the Anglican parish church for the ancient parish of Over Stowey, now part of the Quantock Villages Benefice in the Diocese of Bath and Wells.

Church Of St Peter And St Paul
The Church from the South with the Henry Stanley memorial in the foreground
LocationOver Stowey, Somerset, England
Coordinates51°08′24″N 3°09′56″W / 51.140009°N 3.165500°W / 51.140009; -3.165500
Built14th century
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official nameChurch Of St Peter And St Paul
Designated29 March 1963[1]
Reference no.1060177
Church of St Peter and St Paul, Over Stowey is located in Somerset
Church of St Peter and St Paul, Over Stowey
Location of Church Of St Peter And St Paul in Somerset

The tower and part of the nave date from the 14th century.[1] There is also 15th century work but the building was heavily restored and enlarged by Richard Carver (architect) in the 19th century.[2] There are some fine carved oak bench ends typical of the area and an unusual monument to the brothers Rich (died 1813 and 1815) depicting agricultural implements and a beehive. Several windows are by Morris & Co including two which are designed by Edward Burne-Jones. One depicts the Angel of the Resurrection and the other a band of angelic musicians. Two of the six bells in the tower are medieval, from Exeter and one dated 1714.[3]

Many of the monuments inside and outside the church are to members of the Labouchere and later Stanley family who built and occupied Quantock Lodge, owned much of the parish and funded the church restoration. A large granite cross in the churchyard is a memorial to Henry Stanley, cricketer and heir to the Quantock Lodge Estate who was killed in the Boer War.

The diarist William Holland was the vicar of Over Stowey from 1779 until his death in 1819.

In 2000 the church was featured on the Royal Mail's First Class Christmas Stamp

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Historic England. "CHURCH OF ST PETER AND ST PAUL (1060177)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  2. ^ Pevsner, Nikolaus. The Buildings of England, South and West Somerset. Penguin Books. pp. 269–270.
  3. ^ R W Dunning, C R Elrington (Editors), A P Baggs, M C Siraut (1992). "Over Stowey: Church". A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 6: Andersfield, Cannington, and North Petherton Hundreds (Bridgwater and neighbouring parishes). Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 18 July 2013. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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