Somerset Towers (Paperback)

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles The Somerset Towers are a collection of distinctive, mostly spireless Gothic church towers in the county of Somerset in south west England. Where beautiful castles and church spires rise above other parts of England, the crowning glory of many Somerset towns and villages is these medieval church towers. It is largely on the basis of the Somerset towers that 52 of Simon Jenkins' "Thousand Best Churches" in England are in Somerset - trailing only the counties of Norfolk (with 65 entries) and Lincolnshire (54). Jenkins cites the towers as one of England's finest contributions to medieval art. Often built on the foundations of older Norman churches, the Perpendicular Gothic-style Somerset Towers became landmarks for travelers, with their square, corner-buttressed towers typically positioned on the west side of the churches. The towers soar more than 100 feet (30 m) in some cases - 182 feet (55 m) in the case of Wells Cathedral's north tower (1440).