The Church of St Mary is a 13th-century church in the grounds of the

Orchardleigh Estate Orchardleigh (also spelled Orchardlea) is a country estate in Somerset, approximately two miles north of Frome, and on the southern edge of the village of Lullington, Somerset, Lullington. The privately-owned estate comprises a Victorian architec ...

in Somerset, England.

History

The church stands on an island in the

artificial Artificiality (the state of being artificial, anthropogenic, or man-made) is the state of being the product of intentional human manufacture, rather than occurring naturally through processes not involving or requiring human activity. Connotati ...

Orchardleigh Lake in the grounds of the

within the parish of Lullington, Somerset. It was built in the 13th century, and was heavily

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

by Sir

George Gilbert Scott Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), largely known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he ...

for the Rev. W. A. Duckworth in 1878, whose relations held the estate at that period. It has since been designated a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. The church has retained its sculptures and

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

from the 14th and 15th centuries respectively. Around 1800, estate owner Thomas Champneys of the Mostyn-Champneys Baronets had a moat dug around the church.

Memorials

The church has the grave of the poet

Henry Newbolt Sir Henry John Newbolt, Order of the Companions of Honour, CH (6 June 1862 – 19 April 1938) was an English poet, novelist and historian. He also had a role as a government adviser with regard to the study of English in England. He is perhaps ...

and his wife, a member of the Duckworth family.

Present day

Weddings are often performed at the church, which has capacity for 120 guests. It is reached from the mainland via a footbridge, and a

public footpath A footpath (also pedestrian way, walking trail, nature trail) is a type of thoroughfare that is intended for use only by pedestrians and not other forms of traffic such as motorized vehicles, bicycles and horses. They can be found in a wide va ...

runs nearby over another bridge across the lake. The church does not have an electricity supply and therefore services are candlelit. The organ is pumped by hand. The

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

parish is part of the

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

Beckington Beckington is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, across the River Frome from Lullington about three miles north of Frome. According to the 2011 census the parish, which includes the hamlet of Rudge, which has a population of 9 ...

with Standerwick, Berkley,

Rodden Rodden is a village and a former municipality in the district Saalekreis, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 31 December 2009, it is part of the town Leuna Leuna () is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, eastern Germany, south of Merseburg and Halle, Saxo ...

and Orchardleigh within the

Frome Frome ( ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, on uneven high ground at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills and on the River Frome, south of Bath. The population of the parish was 28,559 in 2021. Frome was one of the largest tow ...

deanery. The church was used as a filming location in 1974 for The Treasure of Abbot Thomas, a dramatisation of the M.R James ghost story produced by the BBC as part of its

A Ghost Story for Christmas ''A Ghost Story for Christmas'' is a Anthology series, strand of annual British short television films originally broadcast on BBC One between 1971 and 1978, and revived sporadically by the BBC since 2005. With one exception, the original instal ...

series.

References

13th-century church buildings in England Grade I listed churches in Somerset Church of England church buildings in Mendip District Grade I listed buildings in Mendip District {{England-Anglican-church-stub

History

Memorials

Present day

See also

References