St Andrew's Church is an

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

church in Backwell,

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, England. The church building dates back to the 13thcentury, when the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

aisles Aisles is a six-piece progressive rock band originally from Santiago, Chile. The group was formed in 2001 by brothers Germán (guitar) and Luis Vergara (keyboards), and childhood friend Rodrigo Sepúlveda (guitar). Later on, it expanded to incl ...

and the

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 ...

were built. The church was subsequently altered and enlarged during the 14th to 17th centuries; the 31m-high west tower dates from the 15th century, and the

rood screen The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or ...

is from the early 16th century. The church has been a Grade I listed building since 1961. The Parish of St Andrew is part of the benefice of Backwell with

Chelvey Brockley is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. The parish is within the unitary authority of North Somerset, about south of Nailsea, and includes the village of Chelvey. According to the 2011 census it had a population of 277. His ...

and

Brockley Brockley is a district and an wards of the United Kingdom, electoral ward of south London, England, in the London Borough of Lewisham south-east of Charing Cross. History The name Brockley is derived from "Broca's woodland clearing", a wood ...

within the deanery of Portishead. A new building attached to the church containing social and office space was added in 1984. There are plans to install

solar panel A solar cell panel, solar electric panel, photo-voltaic (PV) module, PV panel or solar panel is an assembly of photovoltaic solar cells mounted in a (usually rectangular) frame, and a neatly organised collection of PV panels is called a photo ...

s on the roof of the church.

Churchyard

The churchyard includes a 15th-century cross. There is also a crucifix which is a memorial to a local airman Pat Garnett. It was made by

Arthur George Walker Arthur George Walker (20 October 1861 – 13 September 1939) was an English sculptor and painter. Among his best-known works are several war memorials and the statue of Florence Nightingale Florence Nightingale (; 12 May 1820 – 13 Aug ...

and was sited below Backwell Hill House before becoming rusted and overgrown. It was restored and moved to the churchyard by Laurence Tindall in 1997. The churchyard also contains

war graves War is an intense armed conflict between State (polity), states, governments, Society, societies, or paramilitary groups such as Mercenary, mercenaries, Insurgency, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violenc ...

of a York and Lancaster Regiment officer and an airman of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

.
CWGC Cemetery Report, details from casualty record. The Churchyard has very limited land space remaining for future burials; the church has restricted future burials to Backwell residents only, and is requesting permission to reuse existing graves that have no memorials and are more than 80 years old.

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External links

St Andrew's Church, Backwell
{{DEFAULTSORT:Backwell, Saint Andrew Church of England church buildings in North Somerset Grade I listed churches in Somerset Grade I listed buildings in North Somerset 12th-century church buildings in England

Churchyard

See also

References

Sources

External links