Pensford, a village with a station on the G.W.R. Frome and Bristol line. It lies immediately at the foot of a lofty viaduct, which commands a pretty prospect of the valley of the Chew. Like other places on the bank of a stream, the village was once the centre of a brisk cloth trade. The church has been rebuilt, but contains a Jacobean pulpit and a Perp. font (cp. Dundry). The inverted fragment of a piscina may be seen in the churchyard, built into the wall of a shed.
Perrott, North, a small village on the Parrett (which doubtless gives it its name), 2 m. N.E. of Crewkerne. The church is a small cruciform Perp. structure of rather poor workmanship, with a low central tower. The tower arches are panelled, and there is a piscina in the chancel. The manor house hard by is a handsome gabled modern mansion. In the parish Roman remains have been discovered. The companion village of South Perrott is in Dorset.
Petherton, North, a village 3 m. S.W. of Bridgwater, deriving its name from the neighbouring Parrett. In the time of Alfred the country around was one of the royal forests, the others being Selwood, Mendip, Neroche, and Exmoor. There is a fine church, with a noble tower, perhaps the best of its class. It belongs to the type that is characterised by double windows in the belfry, but is more elaborate than most of its compeers. The stages are divided by bands of quatrefoils (cp. Huish and Kingsbury), whilst the wall-face above the belfry windows is beautifully panelled. The W., N., and S. sides are decorated with niches containing figures; and the summit is finished with an ornate crown. The turret (as at Lyng) ascends only half-way up. There are two porches, the S. having a chamber, or gallery, looking into the church. The most peculiar features of the building are the slenderness of the piers carrying the chancel arch, and the sacristy below the E. window (the latter peculiarity occurring also at Langport, Kingsbury, Porlock, Ilminster, and formerly at Crewkerne). Note the piscina at the end of the S. aisle. In the churchyard there is the octagonal base, carved with quatrefoils, of an ancient cross.
PETHERTON, SOUTH, 3 m. S.W. of Martock, is a small town, interesting mainly for its noble church, which has a central (rather attenuated) octagonal tower on a square base. The oldest parts of the building appear to be the basement of the tower, the chancel, the S. porch, and the N. transept, the difference in the masonry between these portions and the rest being instructive. The tower still retains some lancets of the E.E. period; but the earliest windows in the chancel and N. transept are Dec. The body of the church is Perp., and the W. window deserves attention. Note, too, (1) stoup outside N. porch; (2) fragments in S. porch of the same zodiacal signs that appear at Stoke-sub-Hamdon; (3) piscinas (especially that in the chancel); (4) tomb of Sir Giles Daubeny (d. 1445) and one of his wives, with a fine brass (there is also a brass to his second wife on the floor, concealed by matting); (5) 17th-cent. mural tablets in the S. and N. chapels. [ King Ina's Palace ] is the name of an interesting house on the Martock road. It is said to date from Richard II.'s time (with later alterations), and contains a hall, with minstrel gallery, and a good fireplace. Near the church there are one or two other ancient houses which invite notice.
Pill, a populous village, 6 m. N.W. of Bristol, standing on a muddy creek of the Avon. A sufficient impression of the place may be obtained from the station platform. The church is modern.
Pilton, 1½ m. N.W. of West Pennard Station, lies in pretty country. Its church is spacious, and contains much of interest. Architecturally it belongs to various periods. The S. door is Norm., the porch later. The columns and arches which separate the nave from the aisle are late Norm. or Trans.; the roof was raised at a later date, and a Perp. clerestory was inserted. The chancel is Perp., with a panelled arch and a clerestory. Note (1) the fine wooden roof; (2) the screen that encloses what was once a chapel (it has a piscina); (3) the "Easter sepulchre," under a recess in the N. wall, with a representation of our Lord cut in the stone; (4) the fine brass chandelier (1749); (5) the curious old chest at the base of the tower, which contains the remains of an old 16th cent. cope, which has been converted into an altar frontal; (6) the Jacobean pulpit (1618). The communion plate includes a paten of about 1500. Near the church is a noble cruciform barn, once belonging to the abbots of Glastonbury, with the emblems of the Evangelists at the gables.
Pitcombe, a parish 1¼ m. S. of Bruton. The church, with the exception of the tower, has been rebuilt, and contains nothing of interest, except an ancient font.
Pitminster, a large village, 4½ m. S. of Taunton. The church is noticeable for its octagonal tower, which is surmounted by a spire. There are two large monuments of the Coles family on either side of the chancel, and a third at the W. end, dating from the 16th and 17th cents. The font is elaborately carved. Note (1) the bench ends; (2) the old glass in the tracery of the E. window of the N. aisle; (3) the two piscinas.
Pitney, a village 2½ m. N.E. of Langport. The church (Perp.) has an interesting stoup in the porch, and a ribbed squint, with a curious little recess beneath. A Roman pavement has been unearthed in the parish; some specimens of the tiles are preserved in the Taunton Museum.
Podimore, a village 2 m. N.E. of Ilchester. Its church has an octagonal tower on a square base (cp. Weston Bampfylde), the upper part of which is lighted with small lancets. The way in which the octagon has been superimposed on the square may be observed from the interior. The windows of the church are partly Dec., partly Perp. The E. window has some fragments of ancient glass. The chancel arch is unusually narrow. Note (1) the piscina and aumbry; (2) the old font; (3) the stoup in the S. porch. There is the base of an old cross in the churchyard.