St Laurence, East Harptree
St Laurence, East Harptree
St Laurence is a Grade II* parish church on Church Lane, East Harptree, Somerset, in the Diocese of Bath and Wells.
- Location
- East Harptree, City of Bristol
- Country
- England
- County
- City of Bristol
- City / town
- East Harptree
- Address
- Church Lane, East Harptree, City of Bristol, BS40 6BD
- Postcode
- BS40 6BD
- Built
- Late 12th century; 13th century; 15th-century tower; 19th-century restoration
- Denomination
- Church of England
- Dedication
- Laurence
- Diocese
- Bath and Wells
- Parish
- East Harptree with West Harptree and Hinton Blewett
- Grade
- II*
- Style
- Norman and Perpendicular
- Materials
- Coursed sandstone and limestone rubble to tower and south porch; squared and coursed rubble to nave and chancel; concrete tiles to nave, slates to chancel
- Grid reference
- ST 565 559
- Opening hours
- The church is open during daylight hours. A key is held next door at Church Farm and/or contact Guy Stobart.
- Access
- Level access to the main areas
Overview
Historic England lists a parish church of the late twelfth century, with thirteenth-century work, a fifteenth-century west tower whose parapet was restored in 1633, and a late nineteenth-century restoration. The tower and south porch are coursed sandstone and limestone rubble; the nave and chancel are squared and coursed rubble, with dressed-stone openings. Roofs are concrete tiles to the nave and slates to the chancel. The plan is nave, chancel, north aisle, west tower and south porch.
The three-stage tower has a polygonal north-west stair turret, diagonal buttresses and a pierced quatrefoil parapet. The listing records a Transitional south door with a segmental arch and roll and crenellated mouldings. Inside, a thirteenth-century six-bay arcade with clustered shafts opens to the north aisle. There is a squint from aisle to chancel, a moulded thirteenth-century chancel arch, and Jacobean doors to an aumbry. Wikipedia notes a Norman font and an elaborate Renaissance chest tomb to Sir John Newton among the furnishings.