Churches of the British Isles

The Church of St Peter, Huish Champflower, is on the western side of Scott's Hill, overlooking The Barton turning. The church's early history is obscure. The first mention of a chaplain was in 1187 and, in 1226, the church building is mentioned. Thomas de Huish Champflower was the patron, with responsibility to provide a priest until 1297. However, it appears that nothing of the Norman building has survived since the main body of the present church dates from the early 1400s.

This replacement English Gothic building was probably built around the time of the Wars of the Roses. The great east window which measures 5.5 metres by six metres still bears something of the exuberance of the preceding 'Decorated' style. Rumour has it that it and the stained glass came from the dissolved priory of Barlynch in the sixteenth century (see links) which lay to the north-east of Dulverton. Its 'Tree of Jesus' would have been an educational piece in its day.

The parish church of St Peter was dedicated in 1535, although it has since been subjected to a good deal of restoration work - in the late nineteenth century - and is a prominent local landmark on its elevated position in the centre of the village. It consists of a chancel with north chapel, a nave with north aisle and south porch, and a west tower. The tower contains a ring of six bells, four of which were rung to celebrate Nelson's victory at Trafalgar in 1805.

Huish Champflower Church House sits in front of the churchyard on the western side of Scott's Hill. It remained a church house until after 1849, by which time it wore its present appearance as a two-storey building with a chimney and a tiled roof, established as such in the seventeenth century. It was then owned by the lord of the manor and was let to the churchwardens. By 1831 it was held by the overseers. There was also a nearby Glebe House Chapel in 1401 (since lost).

Winters Nonconformist Meeting stood on the western side of the junction at Winters Cross, facing onto the Huish Champflower lane at Coombe End. That location is a best estimate, given that even now there are extremely few buildings at Winters. A family of Presbyterians was noted as living in the parish in 1776. A house at Winters was licensed for worship in 1803 by an unspecified denomination, but presumably with long-established links to the Presbyterians.

Four photos on this page kindly contributed by Huw Thomas via the 'History Files: Churches of the British Isles' Flickr group, and one each copyright © Nick Chipchase and Roger Cornfoot  via Geograph, reused under a cc licence. Additional information by Dr Helen Wilson.