St Andrew's Church is a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

church in

Minehead Minehead is a coastal town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It lies on the south bank of the Bristol Channel, north-west of the county town of Taunton, from the boundary with the county of Devon and in proximity of the Exmoor National P ...

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. Designed by

George Edmund Street George Edmund Street (20 June 1824 – 18 December 1881), also known as G. E. Street, was an English architect, born at Woodford in Essex. Stylistically, Street was a leading practitioner of the Victorian Gothic Revival. Though mainly an eccle ...

, it was built in 1877–80 and has been a Grade II* listed building since 1976. The walls, gate piers and gates to the church have been Grade II listed since 1994.

History

St Andrew's was built as a

chapel of ease A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently. Often a chapel of ea ...

to the parish church of St Michael's. A new church was seen as necessary to serve the lower region of the town, particularly the elderly and sick who struggled to manage the steep journey up to the parish church. Furthermore, additional church accommodation was required to serve the increasing number of residents in Minehead, while the town was also attracting more visitors from its growing reputation as a seaside resort. The need for a new church was recognised by Mrs. Charlotte Ann F. Luttrell, wife of Minehead's vicar (Rev. A. H. F. Luttrell), who had St Andrew's built at her own expense, in memory of her cousin, the late George Jeremy of Leacombe House, Axminster. Mrs. Luttrell spent approximately £4,000-£5,000 on the church, created an endowment of £1,000 and provided £200 towards a repairs fund. A plot of land was gifted by George Fownes Luttrell of

Dunster Castle Dunster Castle is a former motte and bailey castle, now a country house, in the village of Dunster, Somerset, England. The castle lies on the top of a steep hill called the Tor, and has been fortified since the late Anglo-Saxon period. After ...

, who also provided the bricks and building stone. The plans for the church were drawn up

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The foundation stone was laid by Master Alexander Collingwood Fownes Luttrell, the eldest son of Captain John F. Luttrell of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

, on 22 August 1877. The contractor for its construction was Messrs. John Pearse and Son of Minehead, with Mr. C. H. Samson of

Dunster Dunster is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, within the north-eastern boundary of Exmoor National Park. It lies on the Bristol Channel southeast of Minehead and northwest of Taunton. At the 2011 Census, it had a population ...

as clerk of the works. The completed church was consecrated by the Bishop of Bath and Wells, the Right Rev.

Lord Arthur Hervey Lord Arthur Charles Hervey (20 August 1808 – 9 June 1894) was an English bishop who served as Bishop of Bath and Wells from 1869 to 1894. He was usually known by his aristocratic courtesy title, "Lord", rather than the style appropriate to ...

, on 26 August 1880.

Architecture

St Andrew's is built of red sandstone sourced from Alcombe quarries, with dressings of

Doulting stone Doulting Stone Quarry () is a limestone quarry at Doulting, on the Mendip Hills, Somerset, England. At present there are only three quarries quarrying Doulting stone. The largest, The Doulting Stone Quarry, was producing building stone in Rom ...

, in the Decorated style. It was designed to accommodate 324 persons and is made up of a three-bay nave, north and south aisles, chancel, vestry with organ loft, north porch and a bell-turret. The church's intended tower was never built. The open-timbered roofs of the nave and chancel were carved from pitch pine, as was the seating of the nave and aisles. Oak was used for the screen and ceilings of the vestry and organ loft. The chancel was paved with encaustic tiles supplied by Messrs. William Godwin of

Hereford Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. With a population ...

. The church has a five-light east window, and a rose and two two-light windows on the west side. All windows were glazed with white cathedral glass. The pulpit, lectern, reading desk and font cover were made of oak, and the octagonal font of Doulting stone. The corbels, finials and terminals were carved by

Harry Hems Harry Hems (12 June 1842 – 5 January 1916) was an English architectural and ecclesiastical sculptor who was particularly inspired by Gothic architecture and a practitioner of Gothic Revival. He founded and ran a large workshop in Exeter, Devon ...

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

, the seating by Messrs. Baker and Son of

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

and the ironwork by Mr. Leaver of

Maidenhead Maidenhead is a market town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire, England, on the southwestern bank of the River Thames. It had an estimated population of 70,374 and forms part of the border with southern Bu ...

. The church's two bells were made by Messrs.

John Taylor & Co John Taylor Bell Foundry (Loughborough) Limited, trading as John Taylor & Co and commonly known as Taylor's Bell Foundry, Taylor's of Loughborough, or simply Taylor's, is the world's largest working bell foundry. It is located in Loughborough, ...

of Loughborough. A harmonium was initially used at the church until it received its organ in 1881, which was presented by H. A. Bosanquet and built by Messrs J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd of London. A memorial was added to an eastern window in 1888 in memory of Mrs. Luttrell who died the previous year. It was designed and executed by

Charles Eamer Kempe Charles Eamer Kempe (29 June 1837 – 29 April 1907) was a British Victorian era designer and manufacturer of stained glass. His studios produced over 4,000 windows and also designs for altars and altar frontals, furniture and furnishings, lichg ...

of London. A lectern of wrought-iron and brass was added to the church in 1903. The church's meeting rooms, kitchen and toilets were all built in 2004.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Andrew's Church, Minehead Churches in Somerset Grade II* listed churches in Somerset Church of England church buildings in Somerset G. E. Street buildings