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The church of St. Mary
and St. Andrew at Pitminster was built of the local grey stone during the
thirteenth century, on the site of an old Saxon church. The tower and part
of the nave are over 700 years old; this tower is unusual in that it has a
normal square base, an octagonal belfry and a lead covered spire which is
said to lean.
There are three aisles;
the pews are carved in the middle one. The oldest artefact in the church is
the 15th century font made of Bere stone, although there are also fragments
of medieval glass in the windows of the Lady Chapel. There is also a spiral
staircase to the rood loft which dates from 1400.
Sir Gilbert Scott, a
famous architect of that period, restored the church. He moved the south porch
and rebuilt the north aisle. Also he left a stone pulpit, but this was moved
to Hemyock Church in 1952. The present Jacobean pulpit is one of the few with
a canopy.
In the 1950s the old
east window was in a very poor condition and the church invited Jane Grey
to design a new window. There was generous help with the window from American
descendants of former Pitminster residents and the window, named "The Calling
of Andrew" was installed in 1989. It depicts Jesus calling Andrew saying,
"Follow me, I will make you fishers of men". Events Services News
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