Churches of the British Isles

The abbey was re-founded in 1114 by monks from Tavistock as the Priory of St Nicholas, also to serve as a parish church. By 1351 pirates had destroyed most of the establishment's property so, in 1367, Edward III took the priory under his special protection. The location remained vulnerable and the islands were ravaged during the Hundred Years War, both by French and English. The monks occasionally withdrew and only one remained at the end of the 1400s.

The difficulty of maintaining the priory against this background seems to have led to its abandonment before the dissolution of Tavistock Abbey in 1539. There is a note to say that it was leased, with the stipulation that five dozen puffins and a seal be provided annually to Tavistock. Ongoing respect for its church led to its reuse for burial during the post-medieval period. This was first recorded by Borlase in 1752, and surviving grave slabs record burials up to 1811.

Bryher Nonconformist (Baptist) Chapel has a tricky history. Baptists arrived in Scilly in the early 1800s, with a meeting being established on Bryher (the first site). A second site was established around 1830 in a purpose-built chapel. Augustus Smith, 'Lord Proprietor' of the Isles of Scilly, fell out with the Baptists, expelling them in 1843, but it took a while before the chapel was abandoned. However, a new Baptist chapel was built on Bryher in 1874 (see 'related links').

All Saints Church, Bryher, is on the southern side of the lane which connects Newton Road at its eastern end with the beach and ferry pier. The earliest record of a permanent church on Bryher is in the 1742 account of the dedication of a small building to 'God and All Saints' by the chaplain of St Mary's (see links). The structure was approximately seven metres by four in size and it also served the community on Samson to replace a lost medieval chapel (see links).

The church was completely rebuilt in 1821-1822, and then the frontage was renovated in 1860-1861, which is when the tower and porch were also added. The east (chancel) end was further altered in 1897-1898. The roof was replaced and raised in 1930 (poorly). The nave has four modern stained-glass windows by Oriel Hicks (Phoenix Stained Glass). The present church comprises the nave, a narrow sanctuary porch and a south-west tower with a pyramidal roof.

Photos on this page kindly contributed by Snatmann, Douglas Law, and James Stringer, all via the 'History Files: Churches of the British Isles' Flickr group, and three photos copyright © Andrew Abbott, Darren Smith, and Derek Harper, via Geograph, reused under a cc licence.