Church of the Holy Cross
CHURCH OF THE HOLY CROSS, CHURCH STREET
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II*
- List Entry Number:
- 1277940
- Date first listed:
- 17-Apr-1959
- List Entry Name:
- Church of the Holy Cross
- Statutory Address:
- CHURCH OF THE HOLY CROSS, CHURCH STREET
Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2003-10-06
- Reference:
- IOE01/11301/11
- Rights:
- © Mr John Barker. Source: Historic England Archive
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II*
- List Entry Number:
- 1277940
- Date first listed:
- 17-Apr-1959
- List Entry Name:
- Church of the Holy Cross
- Statutory Address 1:
- CHURCH OF THE HOLY CROSS, CHURCH STREET
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- CHURCH OF THE HOLY CROSS, CHURCH STREET
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Somerset (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Babcary
- National Grid Reference:
- ST 56148 28774
Details
ST52NE BABCARY CP CHURCH STREET (West side
3/6
Church of the Holy Cross 17.4.59
GV II*
Anglican parish church. Pre-conquest origins; fabric of C14, C15 with chancel and north aisle added in C19, latter by Benjamin Ferrey in 1875-6. Local lias stone cut and squared, Doulting stone dressings: stone slate roofs between stepped coped gables having cross finials. Three-cell plan of 2-bay chancel and 3-bay nave and north aisle, with west tower and south porch. Chancel may incorporate early work (church described as having nave only in 1822): rough plinth, no buttresses; 3-light early C15 style traceried east window under arched label with square stops; above a store block with sundial, set on skew on iron bracket; on north side two 2-light windows, the east flat-arched with cinquefoil cusped lights under square label with headstops, the west matches east window; on south side two 2-light early C15 style printed arched windows with square stop labels, and between them a small doorway with moulded 4-centre arches: head under square stopped label. The C19 north aisle has a plinth, angled corner buttresses with moulded offsets: 2-light arched window matching the chancel window in the east wall, with plain stop label and external terrmenta this could be a reset C15 window: the north wall has a shallow coping over eaves moulding with gargoyles; the centre bay has a 3-light and the others 2-light windows with C16 style tracery of ogees and quatrefoils to flat arched lights with deep square labels to foliated stops: no west window to aisle. Nave has chamfered plinth, bay buttresses with moulded offsets; in south wall the eastern window is 3-light possibly C15, with ogee traceried flat arched window in hollowed recess under square label with animal stops; western window is a C19 version of the chancel windows of 2-light: between these the south porch, which has angled corner buttresses, moulded pointed outer arch and plain chamfered inner arch; the roof probably C15, an archbraced collar truss of 2 bays with moulded main members and various timber bosses; bench seats, a small open cusped lancet in east wall, and early C20 gate with traceried panels. Tower could be C14: 3 stages, with plinth, string courses, with gargoyles to top string, shallow battlemented parapet; angled corner buttresses 2 stages high; square plan north-east stair turret with 3 slit windows and two double quatrefoil pierced panels: on west face low moulded pointed arched doorway with arched label, and above a 3-light C15 traceried window in slightly hollowed recess under arched label extended as side string; the other sides plain on first stage second stage has small 4-centre arched 2-light window in south side only: stage 3 has similar 2-light windows each face, with wood louvres, and with a small doorway of unknown purpose on south face. Interior largely C19 in character: chance1 austere, with C19 arch braced collar truss roof; early C14 tall pointed arched piscina with stone shelf chancel arch nearly 4-centred, with small centre shaft columns and turned caps; door to former rood loft in north wall. Nave arcade C19, with bell-cap stilted segmental arches, C19 roof; tall moulded pointed tower arch with stiff-leaf foliage capitals to full-length shafts; north aisle unplastered. Fittings include octagonal panelled wood pulpit dated 1632; font probably C14, octagonal with quatrefoil panelled faces, traceried underbowl and rather slim traceried octagonal shalt on C19 base. First recorded rector 1319: Parson Woodforde, diarist, was curate here from January 1764 to October 1765. (Pevsner, Buildings of England, South and West Somerset, 1958; C and J Greenwood, Somerset Delineated, 1822).
Listing NGR: ST5614828774
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 263325
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Sources
Books and journals
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: South and West Somerset, (1958)
Greenwood, C, Greenwood, J, Somerset Delineated, (1822)
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 06-Jun-2026 at 09:28:00.
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