The Church of St Mary the Blessed Virgin is a

Church of England parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ca ...

East Brent, Somerset East Brent is a village and civil parish, on the eastern edge of a hill that dominates the surrounding level countryside—Brent Knoll—close to the M5 motorway, west of Axbridge, in the Sedgemoor district of the county of Somerset, in the so ...

, England. It was built in the 15th century is a Grade I listed building.

History

Parts of the building date from 1298. The west tower and spire were added around 1400. The church has a 15th-century eagle lectern and pulpit from 1634. In the 19th century the building was

restored ''Restored'' is the fourth studio album by American contemporary Christian music musician Jeremy Camp. It was released on November 16, 2004 by BEC Recordings. Track listing Standard release Enhanced edition Deluxe gold edition Standard ...

with a

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...

by William Butterfield. The heating system includes spiral heating pipe coils. On 9 February 1961 the church was designated a Grade I listed building. In the late 1990s the stonework of the tower was repaired using local lias stone to fit in with the original architecture. The dangerous state of the spire required £200,000 to be raised for repairs.

Bells

The west tower has a

ring Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

of six bells. The third bell was cast in about 1450, possibly by the Bristol foundry. William Chamberlain of

Aldgate Aldgate () was a gate in the former defensive wall around the City of London. It gives its name to Aldgate High Street, the first stretch of the A11 road, which included the site of the former gate. The area of Aldgate, the most common use of ...

, London cast the fourth bell in about 1480. George Davis of

Bridgwater Bridgwater is a large historic market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. Its population currently stands at around 41,276 as of 2022. Bridgwater is at the edge of the Somerset Levels, in level and well-wooded country. The town lies alon ...

cast the fifth bell in 1799. Llewellins & James of Bristol cast the tenor bell in 1877 and the treble and second bells in 1910.

Administration

The patron of the Church of England parish is the Bishop of Wells. 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.

Notable clergy

Charles Fane de Salis was the vicar in the late 19th century, before being made Suffragan Bishop of Taunton. From 1911 to 1935 the vicar was

Archie Wickham Archdale Palmer Wickham (9 November 1855 – 13 October 1935) was an English Anglican clergyman, first-class cricketer and entomologist. Clerical career Wickham was the son of the Rev. Edmund Dawe Wickham of Holmwood, and was educated at Marlb ...

who played cricket for

Somerset County Cricket Club Somerset County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Somerset. Founded in 1875, Somerset was initially regarded as a minor ...

History

Bells

Administration

Notable clergy

See also

References

Further reading