Church of St Andrew Curry Rivel Somerset. Mucker Movies

A hamstone building, north of the village green. The church was built around 1500, but there was a church here in 1086 (Domesday survey), possibly even long before the Norman Conquest. The entrance to the church is a handsome two storey porch, on either side of which are windows with superb tracery. The church has a battlemented roofline on which are carvings including people playing musical instruments such as bagpipes, fiddles, bagpipes and horns. There is an ornamental frieze across the front and the portcullis family badge, pointing to Lady Margaret Beaufort (mother of King Henry VII) who held estates nearby. Carved figures (grotesques), known as ‘hunky-punks’ look out from each top corner of the tower (rebuilt 1861). There is a peal of eight bells, tuned to E flat. The oldest is from 1610; the heaviest is 15cwt.

The inside of the church is full of interest, the oldest part being the 13th century north chapel, which has a tomb thought to be of Sabrina de Lorty, the chapel's founder. Behind railings, and under a semi circular canopy, are the beautifully made effigies of Marmaduke Jennings and his son Robert, and these date from the early 17th century. They lived in a mansion at Burton Pynsent, later owned by William Pitt the Elder. Recesses in north wall contain effigies; the knightly maybe of Baron Henry de Lorti I (d1242) or his grandson Henry de Lorti II (d1321), resting on a tomb chest. Lady Sabina's maiden name, Revel, is from Revel in France and gave their name to Curry Rivel. There is carved woodwork from the 15th and 16th centuries includes bench ends, two screens and the roof of the north aisle.

In the nave is a hamstone arcade, pulpit with Byzantine colonettes and lovely carved ends on Victorian pews. The northeast window has Victorian glass, some older, depicting three kings with local connections: Ine (King of Wessex); Alfred (hid at Athelney) and Arthur. The east window has roundel 12th century glass from Canterbury Cathedral, a gift from daughter of Dean Farrar. The window on the south side of the altar has panels engraved 1987 by Laurence Whistler. The window near the late Victorian 2-manual organ is by CE Kemp and from 1913.

The font, near the main door, has memorial to Pitt family’s Nanny beside it. The lozenge shaped hatchment nearby is of her employer, Lady Hester Pitt, wife of William Pitt the Elder

St. Andrew’s Church in Curry Rivel has a long history, with evidence of a Saxon church existing on the site, though no remains survive. The oldest surviving part of the current structure is the 13th-century Norman north chapel. Most of the church is 15th-century Perpendicular in style, featuring a two-storey south porch with a priest’s room and original grotesques known as “hunky-punks”. The imposing tower was rebuilt in 1861, and the interior was refashioned at the same time, though some 13th and 15th-century monuments and parclose screens remain.

Key Historical Points

Saxon Origins:

A church existed at Curry Rivel before the Norman Conquest in 1086, according to the Domesday Book.

Norman Influence:

The north chapel is the earliest surviving part of the church, containing Norman architecture and 13th-century work.

15th Century Perpendicular Style:

Much of the current church, including the nave and south porch, dates from the 15th century and showcases the Perpendicular Gothic style.

Tower Rebuilding:

An earlier tower was demolished and rebuilt in 1861 using blue lias stone, retaining the medieval design but adding pinnacles.

Interior Refashioning:

The interior was also reordered in 1861, though it retains significant features like 13th-century effigies and 15th-century parclose screens.

Architectural Features

Grotesques (“Hunky-Punks”):

The church is notable for its collection of grotesques on the exterior, locally called “hunky-punks,” featuring figures like a fiddler and a bagpiper.

South Porch:

A fine two-storey south porch contains a parvise (priest’s room) and original musicians carved on the string course.

Monuments:

The interior includes important 13th-century monuments and tombs, such as the tomb of Sabina de Lorty and a large Classical tomb to Robert Jennings from the late 16th or early 17th century.

Later Changes

1861 Reordering: The nave and tower were significantly refashioned in 1861.

Pinnacle Incident: An 1861 pinnacle on the south porch fell off just 14 years later, crashing through the roof of the south aisle.

Bell History: The tower contains eight bells, the oldest of which dates back to 1510.