The Church of St Mary the Blessed Virgin is a Church of England parish church in East Brent, Somerset, England. It was built in the 15th century is a Grade I listed building.[1]
| Church of St Mary | |
|---|---|
| Church of St Mary the Blessed Virgin | |
 | |
  Church of St Mary | |
| 51°15′45″N 2°56′30″W / 51.2626°N 2.9417°W | |
| Location | Church Road, East Brent, Somerset, TA9 4HZ |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Previous denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Churchmanship | Central |
| Website | theparishofthreesaints.org.uk |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Dedication | St Mary the Virgin |
| Associated people | |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Parish church |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed |
| Designated | 9 February 1961 |
| Style | Perpendicular Gothic |
| Years built | 15th century |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | stone |
| Bells | 6 |
| Administration | |
| Province | Canterbury |
| Diocese | Bath and Wells |
| Archdeaconry | Archdeaconry of Wells |
| Parish | Parish of Three Saints |
| Clergy | |
| Priest in charge | The Revd Simon Lewis |
| Laity | |
| Reader(s) | Nikki Burns |
| Churchwarden(s) | Kathy Quinnell |
History
editParts of the building date from 1298. The west tower and spire were added around 1400.[2]
The church has a 15th-century eagle lectern and pulpit from 1634.[3][4]
In the 19th century the building was restored with a chancel by William Butterfield. The heating system includes spiral heating pipe coils.[5]
On 9 February 1961 the church was designated a Grade I listed building.[1]
In the late 1990s the stonework of the tower was repaired using local lias stone to fit in with the original architecture.[6] The dangerous state of the spire required £200,000 to be raised for repairs.[7]
Bells
editThe west tower has a ring of six bells. The third bell was cast in about 1450, possibly by the Bristol foundry. William Chamberlain of Aldgate, London cast the fourth bell in about 1480. George Davis of Bridgwater cast the fifth bell in 1799. Llewellins & James of Bristol cast the tenor bell in 1877 and the treble and second bells in 1910.[8]
Administration
editThe patron of the Church of England parish is the Bishop of Wells.[9] It is part of the Parish of Three Saints along with the Church of St Christopher, Lympsham and the Church of St Michael, Brent Knoll.[10]
Notable clergy
editCharles Fane de Salis was the vicar in the late 19th century,[11] before being made Suffragan Bishop of Taunton. From 1911 to 1935 the vicar was Archie Wickham who played cricket for Somerset County Cricket Club.[12][13]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b Historic England. "Church of St Mary (Grade I) (1262673)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 8 January 2009.
- ^ "The history of East Brent". East Brent parish Council. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
- ^ Bush, Robin (1994). Somerset: The Complete Guide. Dovecote Press. p. 91. ISBN 1-874336-26-1.
- ^ "East Brent St Mary". Dawson Heritage. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
- ^ "St Mary's Church, East Brent, Somerset". Chartered Institution of Building service engineers. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
- ^ "Conservation sample projects". Chedburn-Dudley. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
- ^ "The busy life of a parish priest". BBC. 30 July 2005. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
- ^ Smith, Martin (14 December 2011). "East Brent Blessed Virgin Mary". Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers. Central Council for Church Bell Ringers. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
- ^ "East Brent: St Mary the Virgin, East Brent". Church of England. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
- ^ "Churches". East Brent Parish Council. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
- ^ "Vicar of St Mary's, East Brent". Rooksbridge. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
- ^ Harris, Penelope. "A short history of The church of St Mary the Virgin East Brent". Rooksbridge. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
- ^ "The Church of St Mary the Virgin at East Brent". East Brent Parish History Group. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
Further reading
edit- Pevsner, Nikolaus (1958). South and West Somerset. The Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 160–161.