Taunton, Somerset - St. Mary's Church - Raphael Tuck Oilette 1904 pmk

• Postcard

   

• Picture / Image:  St. Mary's Church, Taunton [Somerset]
• Publisher: Rahael Tuck 'Oilette' Series 790 
• Postally used: yes
• Stamp:  Edward VII half d bluish green (the earlier shade)
• Postmark(s): Bidgewater 1904 cds
• Sent to:  Miss Hockey, 16 Gathorne Road, Ashton, Bristol 
• Notes / condition: 

Please ask if you need any other information and I will do the best I can to answer.

Image may be low res for illustrative purposes - if you need a higher definition image then please contact me and I may be able to send one. No cards have been trimmed (unless stated).

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NOTE: All postcards are sent in brand new stiffened envelopes which I have bought for the task. These are specially made to protect postcards and you may be able to re-use them. In addition there are other costs to sending so the above charge is not just for the stamp!

I will give a full refund if you are not fully satisfied with the postcard.

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Text from the free encyclopedia WIKIPEDIA may appear below to give a little background information (internal links may not  work) :

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Taunton /ˈtɔːntən/ is the county town of Somerset, England. The built up area of the town had a population of 64,621 in 2011.^[1]

The town has over 1,000 years of religious and military history, including a monastery dating back to the 10th century and Taunton Castle, which has origins in the Anglo Saxonperiod and was later the site of a priory. The Normans then built a stone structured castle, which belonged to the Bishops of Winchester. The current heavily reconstructed buildings are the inner ward, which now houses the Museum of Somerset and the Somerset Military Museum. The town is undergoing a regeneration project with redevelopment of the town centre. It has various transport links which support its central role in economy and commerce. These have included the Grand Western Canal which reached Taunton in 1839 and arrival of the railway in 1842.

Taunton is the site of Musgrove Park Hospital and Somerset County Cricket Club's County Ground and is home to 40 Commando, Royal Marines. Central Taunton is part of the annual West Country Carnival circuit. It hosts the Taunton flower show, which has been held in Vivary Park since 1866. The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office is located on Admiralty Way.^[2]

The Church of St Mary Magdalene is a Church of England parish church in Taunton, Somerset, England. It was completed in 1508 and is in the Early Tudor Perpendicular Gothic style. It is designated as a Grade I listed building.^[1]

St Mary's church was probably established as part of the reorganisation of Taunton by Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester, by 1180,^[2] and has been the town church since 1308.^[3] Prior to 1308 the church was dependent on the Augustinian Taunton Priory.^[4] A new chapel was consecrated in 1437.^[5]

It is built of sandstone and has a painted interior. Most of the statues and stained glass date from the Victorian restoration.^[6] Within the church are a variety of memorials and tablets including War Memorials for soldiers from Somerset, including the Somerset Light Infantry.^[2]

The 163 feet (50 m) tower^[7] was built around 1503,^[8] financed by the prosperity created by the wool trade,^[9] and was rebuilt in 1858-62 (in replica) by Sir George Gilbert Scottand Benjamin Ferrey,^[1] using Otter sandstone from Sir Alexander hood's quarry at Williton and some Igneous Diorite from Hestercombe.^[10] It is considered to be one of the best examples of a Somerset tower and a 163 feet (50 m) tall landmark.^[1][11]

The tower was described by Simon Jenkins, an acknowledged authority on English churches, as being "the noblest parish tower in England."^[12] The tower itself has 15 bellsand a clock mechanism. The tower contains 13 bells hung for ringing plus two accidental (semitone) bells hung for chiming. The present ring of bells were cast by Taylors of Loughborough in 2016.^[9][13]

The church has suffered from the weather over the years and there have been various appeals for funding to repair the fabric of the building including one for £135,000, to repair the tower's stonework after two pinnacles fell through the roof.^[14] In 2009 vandals damaged some of the windows of the church, however the stained glass, which includes fragments from the medieval era were undamaged as they are protected by wire mesh.^[15]

Joseph Alleine the noted Puritan minister and author was curate of the church in the 1660s^[16] and is buried in the churchyard.^[17]