mainly for its noble church, which has a central (rather attenuated)
octagonal tower on a square base. The oldest parts of the building
appear to be the basement of the tower, the chancel, the S. porch, and
the N. transept, the difference in the masonry between these portions
and the rest being instructive. The tower still retains some lancets of
the E.E. period; but the earliest windows in the chancel and N.
transept are Dec. The body of the church is Perp., and the W. window
deserves attention. Note, too, (1) stoup outside N. porch; (2)
fragments in S. porch of the same zodiacal signs that appear at
Stoke-sub-Hamdon; (3) piscinas (especially that in the chancel); (4)
tomb of Sir Giles Daubeny (d. 1445) and one of his wives, with a fine
brass (there is also a brass to his second wife on the floor, concealed
by matting); (5) 17th-cent. mural tablets in the S. and N. chapels.
_King Ina's Palace_ is the name of an interesting house on the Martock
road. It is said to date from Richard II.'s time (with later
alterations), and contains a hall, with minstrel gallery, and a good
fireplace. Near the church there are one or two other ancient houses
which invite notice.
_Pill_, a populous village, 6 m. N.W. of Bristol, standing on a muddy
creek of the Avon. A sufficient impression of the place may be obtained
from the station platform. The church is modern.
_Pilton_, 1-1/2 m. N.W. of West Pennard Station, lies in pretty
country. Its church is spacious, and contains much of interest.
Architecturally it belongs to various periods. The S. door is Norm.,
the porch later. The columns and arches which separate the nave from
the aisle are late Norm. or Trans.; the roof was raised at a later
date, and a Perp. clerestory was inserted. The chancel is Perp., with a
panelled arch and a clerestory. Note (1) the fine wooden roof; (2) the
screen that encloses what was once a chapel (it has a piscina); (3) the
"Easter sepulchre," under a recess in the N. wall, with a
representation of our Lord cut in the stone; (4) the fine brass
chandelier (1749); (5) the curious old chest at the base of the tower,
which contains the remains of an old 16th cent. cope, which has been
converted into an altar frontal; (6) the Jacobean pulpit (1618). The
communion plate includes a paten of about 1500. Near the church is a
noble cruciform barn, once belonging to the abbots of Glastonbury, with
the emblems of the Evangelists at the gables.
_Pitcombe_, a parish 1-1/4 m. S. of Bruton. The church, with the
exception of the tower, has been rebuilt, and contains nothing of
interest, except an ancient font.
_Pitminster_, a large village, 4-1/2 m. S. of Taunton. The church is
noticeable for its octagonal tower, which is surmounted by a spire.
There are two large monuments of the Coles family on either side of the
chancel, and a third at the W. end, dating from the 16th and 17th
cents. The font is elaborately carved. Note (1) the bench ends; (2) the
old glass in the tracery of the E. window of the N. aisle; (3) the two
piscinas.
_Pitney_, a village 2-1/2 m. N.E. of Langport. The church (Perp.) has
an interesting stoup in the porch, and a ribbed squint, with a curious
little recess beneath. A Roman pavement has been unearthed in the
parish; some specimens of the tiles are preserved in the Taunton
Museum.
_Podimore_, a village 2 m. N.E. of Ilchester. Its church has an
octagonal tower on a square base (cp. Weston Bampfylde), the upper part
of which is lighted with small lancets. The way in which the octagon
has been superimposed on the square may be observed from the interior.
The windows of the church are partly Dec., partly Perp. The E. window
has some fragments of ancient glass. The chancel arch is unusually
narrow. Note (1) the piscina and aumbry; (2) the old font; (3) the
stoup in the S. porch. There is the base of an old cross in the
churchyard.
[Illustration: OLD BANK, PORLOCK]
PORLOCK, a small town near the Devonshire border, 7 m. W. from
Minehead, from which it is reached by coach. Its name--"the enclosed
harbour"--indicates its former maritime character, but more than a mile
of meadow land now separates it from the sea. Its attenuated shipping
trade finds what accommodation it can at the _Weir_, 1-1/2 m. to the W.
The village enjoys a reputation second only to Cleveleys' for
west-country quaintness. It has certainly much to recommend it to the
lovers of the picturesque. It lies snugly ensconced at the bottom of a
wooded valley, enclosed on three sides by the heathery slopes of
Exmoor, but open in front to the sea. Southey has penned a testimonial
to its scenery; and its creeper-clad cottages, with roses and clematis
reaching to their round Devonshire chimneys, still furnish many a study
for the pencil or camera. In Anglo-Saxon times it was much raided by
the Danes, and Harold's sons also paid it a visit, which procured for
them a rough welcome from the shoresmen. The church (ded. to St
Dubricius), which stands in a rather cramped position in the centre of
the village, is externally much in keeping with the old-fashioned
aspect of the surrounding cottages. It consists of a Perp. nave and S.
aisle, with a truncated shingled spire at the W. end. Internally it is
comely and of interest. Its chief curiosities are a small sacristy at
the E. end (cp. Langport and N. Petherton), and a richly canopied tomb,
uncomfortably crowded under the E. bay of the arcade. The recumbent
effigies are finished in much detail, but a certain mystery hangs about
their identity. They are now regarded as those of Baron John Harington
of Aldingham (d. 1418) and his wife, Lady Elizabeth, _née_ Courtney
(1472). The lady's head-dress, in the shape of a mitre, is particularly
noteworthy. On the N. side of the sanctuary is an altar tomb panelled
with devices of the Five Wounds. It is supposed to have served as an
Easter sepulchre. An earlier model of the same tomb stands in the N.
porch. In the S. aisle is a round-headed founder's recess, containing
the mail-clad figure of a knight, supposed to be Simon Fitz-Roger
(_temp._ Richard I.); close by is a smaller recess. The rood-loft has
disappeared, but a stairway and window mark its former position. Note
the indications of the earlier character of the sanctuary in the E.
window and double-drained piscina. In the churchyard is a restored
cross. The "Ship" at the fork of the Lynton road is a venerable
hostelry, once patronised by Southey; and there is another quaint house
on the road to Minehead. Specimens of an oak jug peculiar to Porlock
may be obtained in the village. The nearest approach to the sea is by
the road to the _Weir_. Here a pebble ridge encloses the tide and forms
a natural pill, which a pair of dock gates transforms into a rude
harbour. The view across the bay to Hurlstone Point and Bossington is
delightful. Pretty views may also be obtained from Park Road, a long
zigzag ascent which finally joins the Lynton road. Another pleasant
walk can be taken in Hawkcombe valley (past W. end of church); whilst a
third, passing "Doverhay," may terminate at the Horner Valley (L.), or
at Stoke Pero (R.). A visit should be paid to _Allerford_, where there
is an ancient pack-horse bridge of two arches, and whence the summit of
Bossington Beacon may be reached by some charming zigzag paths through
the woods.
[Illustration: ALLERFORD]
_Portbury_, a village 8 m. N.W. of Bristol (nearest stat. Pill). It is
a place where many Roman remains have been found. It possesses a
spacious church, which has a fine Norm. recessed S. door. The chancel
arch is also of Norm. origin, but has undergone alteration. There is a
good E. window and a sanctuary bell-cot. The triple sedilia (E.E. or
Dec.) and the 17th-cent. brass in the N. aisle should be noticed. At
the junction of the roads to Portishead and Clapton are the remains of
a priory, which are now used as a school. It is said to have belonged
to an Augustinian Abbey at Bristol.
PORTISHEAD, a small town with a population of 2544, situated on the
Bristol Channel, 11-1/2 m. W. from Bristol and 8 from Clifton
Suspension Bridge. It is connected with the city by a G.W.R. branch
line, of which it is the terminus. Portishead makes a successful
attempt to combine business with pleasure. It has a biggish dock and
some large grain warehouses, and is a flourishing little port. It is
now awaking to its possibilities as a watering-place. Its chief
attraction is a wooded promontory rising behind the docks. Round this
is cut an excellent road, which finally ends in a queer little attempt
at a promenade. The "Point" has figured in history, for the possession
of a fort upon it was contested by the Royalist and Roundhead forces in
the Civil War. The church is in the middle of the old village, which
lies back from the sea. It has a stately Perp. tower crowned with a
spirelet. The interior is unreformed and disappointing. Note (1) music
gallery above S. porch, (2) Norm. font, (3) curious arch in N. aisle,
(4) sculptured heads built into chancel wall, perhaps removed from
original position as suspenders of Lenten veil (cp. Orchardleigh), (5)
pulpit reached through S. wall. Near the church is an ancient manor
house with an Elizabethan turret. Portishead possesses a fine new Naval
College, built to replace the old training-ship _Formidable.
Nightingale Valley_ is a favourite walk.
_Preston Plucknett_, a village 1-1/2 m. W. of Yeovil. Its church is not
particularly interesting, the ancient features being disguised by
recent restorations. The body of the building is thought to be late
Dec., the tower Perp. Note (1) piscina in S. transept or chapel, (2)
small doorway in N. transept, which probably once led to the rood-loft,
but now affords access to the pulpit. Hard by is a fine tithe barn with
finials on the gables, and a 15th-cent. house with a most picturesque
porch and panelled octagonal chimney.
_Priddy_, a lonely village on the top of the W. Mendips, 5 m. N.N.W. of
Wells. It enjoys a certain celebrity as one of the bleakest and most
remote spots in Somerset. Though some considerable distance from
Cheddar, it is generally regarded as part of the Cheddar _entourage_.
Nowhere can the characteristic scenery of the Mendips, with its moors,
mines, and swallets, be sampled to better advantage. Priddy, ever since
Roman times, has been the centre of the Mendip mining area (cp. p. 11),
and wild tales used to be told of the Priddy "groovers." Lead and zinc
ores are still worked in the locality. The village surrounds a large,
three-cornered green, which was once the scene of a considerable fair.
The church stands about a stone's-throw away on rising ground. It is a
Perp. building of irregular design and rough workmanship. It has a good
pillared stoup in the porch, a Jacobean screen, and fragments of a
stone pulpit. In the neighbourhood are two groups of barrows.
_Priston_, a village in a secluded dale 5-1/4 m. S.W. from Bath
(nearest stat. Camerton, 3 m.). The church is something of a deception,
for a good Norm. doorway and an exterior corbel table prepares the
visitor for the Norm. arches and arcading within; but these are
entirely modern. There is, however, some good Dec. work in the chancel;
and notice should especially be taken of the priest's doorway, the
foliated rear arches of the windows (cp. Frome), and the fine pillar
piscina. Observe also (1) old wooden door, (2) the lion serving as a
finial to W. gable. The tower, the base of which is perhaps Norm., is
incongruously finished with a balustrade and urn-like pinnacles.
_Publow_, a village on the Chew (nearest stat. Pensford). One of the
prettiest features of the landscape from Pensford Station is the
graceful tower of Publow Church. It is a stately structure of four
stages, with the customary projecting stone turret and spirelet. The
interior is not particularly interesting, but note (1) panelled arch on
N. of sanctuary, (2) aumbry in N. aisle, (3) square font. The pulpit
has been constructed out of two old pews. Near the church is an old
cylindrical "lock-up."
_Puckington_, a small village 3 m. N.E. of Ilminster. The oldest part
of the church (Perp.) is the chancel, which has Dec. windows, a
piscina, and triple sedilia (E.E.) (cp. Shepton Beauchamp). There is
also a Norm, font with cable moulding.
_Puriton_, a parish 3-3/4 m. N.N.E. from Bridgwater, 3/4 m. from
Dunball. The church, though old, has lost whatever features of interest
it once had. The S. porch seems formerly to have had a gallery or
parvise (note the staircase), and there is a small plain oak screen.
The neighbouring large house is _Puriton Manor_.
_Puxton_, a small village 7 m. E. of Weston-super-Mare, with a station
3 m. away. The church is a small building with a leaning tower.
Originally it was E.E. (note one of the windows), but many parts of the
fabric are much later. The porch is dated 1557. There is a good oak
pulpit, with hourglass holder, and some heavy 15th-cent. benches.
_Pylle_, a village with station (S. & D.), situated a little off the
Fosse Way, 4 m. S. of Shepton Mallet. The church (St Thomas à Becket)
has, with the exception of the tower (Perp.), been rebuilt (1868).
Opposite is a farmhouse, which was once a manorial residence of the
Berkeleys: part of the original Elizabethan building still remains.
_Quantocks, The_, a range of hills forming the W. boundary of the
spacious plain which occupies the centre of the county. Geologically,
they belong to the Devonian series of rocks. They are not of great
extent, being a comparatively narrow ridge, stretching from the
neighbourhood of Taunton in a north-westerly direction some 10 or 12 m.
to the sea, whilst their tallest summit (Will's Neck) is only 1270 ft.
But their natural attraction of woodland dells, heathy moorlands, and
mountain air are great, and are enhanced by interests which appeal both
to the lovers of sport and the lovers of literature, for upon them the
red deer is hunted (as well as upon Exmoor), and near them Coleridge
and Wordsworth made their homes. They are easily accessible on the E.
from Bridgwater, whence good roads lead to Cothelstone Beacon and
Nether Stowey (to the latter the G.W.R. runs a motor car), and on the
S. from Taunton, whence the railway to Minehead skirts their W. flanks
all the way to the coast, with stations at intervals (Bishop's Lydeard,
Crowcombe, Stogumber, Williton). On the E. side, they are cut by
numerous long and leafy combes (notably _Cockercombe_ and _Seven Wells'
Combe_), which afford easy ascents; but on the W. the slopes are much
steeper and barer. Their tops are covered with bracken, heather, scrub
oak, and quantities of whortle berries, the ripening of the last
marking the beginning of the summer holidays for the village children,
who then go "whorting." The most conspicuous summits in order from S.E.
to N.W. are _Cothelstone Beacon, Witt's Neck, Danesborough_ (where
there is a British camp), and _Longstone Hill_. A track (not fit for
cyclists) runs the whole length of the range, starting from where the
road from Bridgwater to Bagborough begins to descend to the latter
place, and ending where the hills slope towards the sea between E. and
W. Quantoxhead. _Triscombe Stone_, near the head of Cockercombe, is a
famous meet for the staghounds. At Adscombe, near Seven Wells' Combe,
are the remains of a chantry which is said to have belonged to the
monastery at Athelney. The W. window, with door beneath, still
survives.
_Quantoxhead, East_, a parish 4-1/2 m. N.E. from Williton, near the
shore. Its church retains a few interesting features, among them being
a tomb of Hugh Luttrell (1522), some carved seat ends (one with the
Luttrell arms), a Caroline pulpit (1633), and a piscina. In the
churchyard is the shaft of a cross. Near the church is Court House, an
old manor house, with the remains of a pierced parapet. It formerly
belonged to the Luttrell family.
_Quantoxhead, West_, a parish 1-1/2 m. E. of Williton. The church of St
Etheldreda (Audrey), which is beautifully situated, has been wholly
rebuilt (1856), the only ancient feature being the shaft of the
churchyard cross. In the parish is _St Audries_, the seat of Sir A.F.
Acland Hood.
_Queen Charlton_, a small village 2 m. S.W. of Keynsham, with the abbey
of which it once had an intimate connection. A fine Norm. doorway,
built into a garden wall, was originally the gateway of the abbey
court-house. The church has a central Norm, tower, but is otherwise
without interest. A Dec. arcade, now blocked, seems at one time to have
divided the sanctuary from some demolished chantry. The base and shaft
of a cross ornament the village green.
_Raddington_, a village on the border of Devonshire, 2 m. N. of Venn
Cross Station. The church contains a good panelled oak roof and a fine
screen. In the chancel is a mutilated piscina.
RADSTOCK, a small town 8-1/2 m. S.W. from Bath, with two stations close
together in the centre of the main street. It possibly derives its name
from its proximity to the Fosse Way. It is now the metropolis of the
Somerset coalfield. It is a rather disconnected sort of place, lying in
a deep valley surrounded by coal-pits, and throwing out long rows of
workmen's cottages up the hillsides. The church, originally a small
building (as the rood-stair on the S. wall indicates), has been
restored and enlarged out of all recognition. A curious _bas-relief_,
with the Crucifixion on one side and the Virgin and Child on the other,
has been built into the E. wall of the S. porch. Within the church is a
heavy Norm. font and a mutilated piscina.
_Redlynch_, a small hamlet 1-1/2 m. S.E. from Bruton. The church is
without interest. _Redlynch Park_ is the seat of the Earl of Ilchester.
_Rimpton_, a village 3/4 m. S.E. of Marston Magna Station. It has a
pretty church, cruciform in plan, with a chancel of E.E. or Dec.
origin. There is a niche for a stoup inside the S. door, and piscinas
in the chancel and S. transept. The pulpit is Jacobean, whilst some of
the carved bench-ends date from the 15th or 16th cent., and bear the
Tudor rose. Note the squint and ancient font.
_Road_, a village on the borders of Wiltshire, 4 m. N.N.E. from Frome.
The church has a heavy embattled tower, from the top of which Charles
II. is said to have reconnoitred the surrounding country after his
hurried flight from Worcester. The interior is disappointing. There is
an empty canopied recess in the S. aisle, and a piscina in the chancel.
_Rodden_, a small parish 1-1/2 m. E. from Frome. There is no village.
The church stands in a farmyard, and has to be reached by crossing the
fields. It is a quaint little pseudo-Perp. structure with a toy tower,
built 1640.
_Rowberrow_, 2-1/2 m. E. from Winscombe or Sandford Stations, is a
parish which was once the centre of a mining district, but the mines
are now disused. Its little church lies under Dolbury Camp. Above the
S. porch is a stone with interlaced carving.
_Ruborough Camp_. See _Broomfield_.
_Ruishton_, a village 3 m. E. of Taunton. Its church has a massive
tower, with double belfry windows and prominent buttresses, but the
absence of parapet and pinnacles gives it an unfinished appearance.
Traces of Norm. architecture remain in the S. porch, and there is some
Dec. work, in the S. chapel, but the nave is Perp. The font is richly
carved. A poor painting--the Adoration of the Magi--which is supposed
to be Flemish, forms an altarpiece. In the churchyard is the base of a
large cross.
_Runnington_, a village 1 m. N.W. of Wellington. Its church is a
characterless little building at the bottom of a lane. It retains its
rood stairway.
_St Catherine_, a parish 4 m. N.E. of Bath. It is reached by a road
from Batheaston (2 m.), through a very pretty valley (where the road
forks, turn to the L.), and has much that is interesting. Portions of
the church are late Norm. or E.E. (note the tower and chancel arches,
and the fine font, with its variety of mouldings); but it was rebuilt
by Prior Cantlow of Bath in the 15th cent. The beautiful E. window,
with its stained glass, bearing a Latin inscription, is of that date,
and so is the carved pulpit, the colours of which are believed to
reproduce the original. There is a monument, with figures, to William
Blanchard and his wife (1631), N. of the chancel. Note, too, the roof
of the choir, and the ancient glass in the S. windows. Near the church
is a cruciform tithe barn. The Grange, close by, is also the work of
Prior Cantlow; but the porch is a later addition, of Jacobean times.
_St Decuman's_. See _Watchet_.
_St Michael Church_, a small parish 1 m. N. of Durston. Its church is
correspondingly small, with a low N. tower surmounted by a pyramidal
roof. It contains one or two monuments of the Slade family.
_Saltford_, a large village (with station) 6 m. W.N.W. of Bath,
situated on the Avon. Its church, restored in 1851, is without
interest, though it has a good Norm. font, with roughly carved heads
below the bowl.
_Sampford Arundel_, a small village 2-3/4 m. S.W. of Wellington. Its
church, in which nave and aisles are covered by a single roof, has a
curious bit of sculpture (hands holding a heart) inserted in the N.
wall.
_Sampford Brett_, 1 m. S.E. of Williton, a village deriving its name
from the family of Brett, one of whose members took part in the murder
of Thomas à Becket. The church is cruciform, but the plan is obscured
by the position of the tower and a chapel on the S. side. The only
objects of interest are (1) the carved seat ends, one of which has the
figure of a lady (supposed to be Florence Windham, of whom it is
related that she was buried when in a trance, from which she was
awakened by the sexton, who opened her coffin in order to steal her
rings), (2) the effigy of a mailed warrior (in the vestry), presumably
one of the Bretts.
_Seavington St Mary_, a small village 3 m. E. from Ilminster, on the
road to Ilchester. The church stands by the wayside, a little apart
from the village. It is a fairly good specimen of a plain E.E. country
church. As examples of the style note (1) S. doorway, (2) chancel arch,
comprising two remaining members of a triplet, with squint; (3) lancets
in chancel, (4) plain round font. The tower, the internal arch of which
is peculiar, has been reconstructed in Perp. times. The sanctuary
contains a trefoiled piscina and an aumbry. Inside the church doorway
is a bench bearing date 1623; it was originally the parish bier.
_Seavington St Michael_, a parish 4 m. E. of Ilminster. The church is
small, without tower or aisles. It retains two piscinas and an ancient
font; and built into the side walls are two boldly carved heads
(perhaps originally supports of the Lenten veil). Outside, exposed to
the weather, is the effigy of a woman.
_Selworthy_, a charming village 4 m. W. of Minehead, on the road to
Porlock. It is best reached from Holnicote, along a pleasant shady
lane, 1/2 m. long. There is much to repay the visitor. The church
(Perp.) has a curious pew over the S. porch, and the S. aisle (rebuilt
in 1490) has a very good roof. The mouldings of the arcade piers should
be observed, and two of the capitals have the Devonshire foliage. Note,
too (1) piscinas in the chancel and S. aisle, (2) fragments of early
glass in the E. window of the N. aisle, (3) some 16th and 17th-cent.
brasses. On the road to the church is a 15th-cent. tithe-barn; whilst
W. of the church, lying in a hollow, are some interesting almhouses,
known as "Selworthy Green." _Selworthy Beacon_, rising above the
village, is 1014 ft. above the sea.
_Shapwick_, a village 4-1/2 m. W. of Glastonbury, situated on the
Poldens. Its church has a central tower (no transepts) supported on
E.E. arches. There are piscinas in the S. and N. walls of the aisles,
and a large mural monument of the 17th cent.; otherwise it contains
nothing of interest.
_Shepton Beauchamp_, a village 4 m. N.E. of Ilminster, and about the
same distance S.W. of Martock. The church has a fair tower, which (like
that of Hinton St George) is lighted by a single large window, common
to the belfry stage and the stage below. The W. face has in a niche the
figure of a bishop or a mitred abbot; the S. side has St Michael. The
tower arch is panelled and the vault groined. The arcade has pointed,
chamfered arches, supported on octagonal pillars, and there is a small
clerestory. The massive character of one of the piers of the arcade
suggests that the church originally had a central tower. The chancel
has a Dec. E. window (restored), a piscina, and triple sedilia, E.E.
There is also a piscina in the N. chapel. The font is ancient. There is
an old Perp. house opposite the church, now used as an institute.