Church of St Mary, Charlton Mackrell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Church of St Mary |
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| Location | Charlton Mackrell, Somerset, England |
| Built | 13th century |
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Listed Building – Grade II*
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| Official name: Church of St Mary | |
| Designated | 17 April 1959 |
| Reference no. | 1056728 |
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The Church of St Mary is an old church in Charlton Mackrell, a village in Somerset, England. It was built a very long time ago, in the 13th century (that's the 1200s!). This church is so special that it's officially protected as a Grade II* listed building. This means it's a really important historic place.
A Look Back in Time
This church first opened its doors in the 1200s. Over the years, it has been carefully repaired and updated. Major repairs happened in the 1790s and again in the 1840s.
Around the year 1330, a special stone pattern was added to a window in the transept. A transept is like the "arms" of a cross-shaped church. However, the original glass from that time is no longer there.
During the 1840s repairs, a "singing gallery" was taken out. This was a balcony where singers might have stood. The church also had a lot of rebuilding work done and a new room, called a vestry, was added on the north side.
What the Church Looks Like
The Church of St Mary is built from a type of local stone called hamstone. Its roofs are made of slate.
You can see strong stone supports, called buttresses, on the corners of the chancel (the part of the church near the altar) and on the south transept.
The church tower has interesting stone carvings called gargoyles on the outside. These often look like scary creatures and were originally used to drain rainwater away from the building. Inside the tower, there are six bells.
When you go inside, you'll find a round stone font from the 13th century. This is where baptisms take place. Most of the other decorations and the colourful stained glass windows you see today were added in the 1800s during what is known as the Victorian restoration.
