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Churches of the British Isles

Gallery: Churches of Somerset

by Peter Kessler, 31 October 2010

Sedgemoor Part 1: Churches of Nether Stowey, Cannington & East Brent

St Mary's Church, Nether Stowey, Somerset

St Mary's Church, Nether Stowey, lies at the eastern end of Stowey Court, both of which are divided from the rest of Nether Stowey by the A39 road which was built in 1968. The original church on this site was medieval, although little of it remains today and little detail seems to be available. The tower was built up in the fifteenth century. The church was rebuilt and enlarged in 1849-1851 by Richard Carver and Charles Edmund Giles, although the tower was untouched.

St Mary's Church, Nether Stowey, Somerset

The building consists of a nave with south porch and north and south aisles, chancel and west tower. The tower is embattled, built in three stages. Coursed and squared red sandstone rubble is used throughout, with freestone dressings and slate roofs. The building of the nearby Stowey Court was begun by Lord James Audley, into whose hands the manor passed in 1343. It was completed by his great-grandson in 1588 and stood in a park which contained deer.

The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Cannington, Somerset

The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Cannington, stands in the very centre of the village, reached via a narrow lane leading from Church Street to the west and via Brook Lane to the south. Cannington first appeared in Saxon charters as 'Cantuctone'. Cantuc was a British word for a ridge, and the same word was used for the nearby Quantock Hills. The area was conquered comparatively late by the West Saxons, retaining strong links to the British kingdom of Dumnonia.

The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Cannington, Somerset

A wooden Saxon church may originally have stood in the village, but no trace has survived. Following the Norman Conquest, the De Courci family were made lords of nearby Stogursey (Stoke Courcy), establishing Cannington Priory about 1138. The church was built alongside the priory by 1336, with the tower being added in the fourteenth century. This church (but not the tower) was demolished in the following century and replaced by the present Perpendicular building.

Church of St Mary the Virgin, East Brent, Somerset

St Mary the Virgin, East Brent, is at the western end of Church Road, on the south-western edge of the village. The first mention of East Brent is in a charter of 693 under which King Ine of the West Saxons gave 'Brentmarse' to Abbot Alnod of Glastonbury. The Abbey held it until the Dissolution in 1539. The Domesday Book records in 1086 that a priest called Godwin was resident in the parish, so there must have been a Saxon church too, possibly a wooden one.

Church of St Mary the Virgin, East Brent, Somerset

Construction of the present church began in the late thirteenth century and by 1298 most of the nave had been built. The tower and the spire were added about a century later. The oldest two bells still in use date from 1440 and 1450. Abbot John Selwood was vicar from 1467-1493. He brought most of the pews from Glastonbury, and these bear his initials. The chancel was rebuilt between 1840-1845, and the secondhand tower clock was probably added then.

All photos on this page kindly contributed by Colin Hinson.

 

 

     
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