Church of All Saints, Castle Cary

All Saints Church
All Saints Church
Location	Castle Cary, Somerset, England
Coordinates	51°05′12″N 2°31′00″W
Built	1470
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official name	Church of All Saints
Designated	24 March 1961[1]
Reference no.	1056241
	Location of All Saints Church in Somerset

All Saints Church in Castle Cary in the English county of Somerset dates from 1470 and is notable for its high steeple. It is a Grade II* listed building.[1]

The parish is within the benefice of Castle Cary with Ansford which is part of the archdeaconry of Wells.[2]

History

The church has Saxon origins, however none of the fabric from the wooden building survive.[3] The current Perpendicular Gothic building was constructed around 1470.[1]

During the English Civil War the church was damaged and the organ destroyed.[4]

The life of the local church was described by James Woodforde in his The Diary of a Country Parson. He was born in Ansford where his father was the vicar. A display about his life and writings is available in the Castle Cary and District Museum.

It was restored by Benjamin Ferrey in the 1880s.[1] This work increased the number of "free" or unreserved seats, by increasing the length of the nave. He also raised the height of the tower.[4]

Architecture

The building is made of local stone with dressings from Doulting Stone Quarry. It has a slate roof with battlemented parapets.

The three stage tower contains six bells dating from 1760 and made by Thomas Bilbie of the Bilbie family.[5]

Interior

The church contains a font and wooden pulpit which both date from the 15th century.[1]

Churchyard

The Cosenes monument in the churchyard, which dates from the 16th century, is on the Heritage at Risk Register.[6]

References

Historic England. "Church of All Saints (1056241)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
"All Saints, Castle Cary". A church near you. Church of England. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
Richardson, Miranda. "Castle Cary brief history". Somerset Urban Archaeological Surveys. Somerset County Council. Archived from the original on 12 July 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
"All Saints' and St Andrew's History". All Saints, Castle Cary & St Andrew's, Ansford. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
Moore, James; Rice, Roy; Hucker, Ernest (1995). Bilbie and the Chew Valley clock makers. The authors. ISBN 0-9526702-0-8.
"Cosenes monument, Church of All Saints, Church Street, Castle Cary — South Somerset". Heritage at Risk. English Heritage. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.

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[nhle-1] Historic England. "Church of All Saints (1056241)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 4 April 2015.

[2] "All Saints, Castle Cary". A church near you. Church of England. Retrieved 27 January 2014.

[3] Richardson, Miranda. "Castle Cary brief history". Somerset Urban Archaeological Surveys. Somerset County Council. Archived from the original on 12 July 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2014.

[churchhist-4] "All Saints' and St Andrew's History". All Saints, Castle Cary & St Andrew's, Ansford. Retrieved 27 January 2014.

[5] Moore, James; Rice, Roy; Hucker, Ernest (1995). Bilbie and the Chew Valley clock makers. The authors. ISBN 0-9526702-0-8.

[6] "Cosenes monument, Church of All Saints, Church Street, Castle Cary — South Somerset". Heritage at Risk. English Heritage. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.