Church of St John the Baptist, Ashbrittle

The Church of St John the Baptist is a Church of England parish church in Ashbrittle, Somerset. It was built in the 15th century, and is a Grade II* listed building.[1]

Church of St John the Baptist, Ashbrittle
Ashbrittle church and ancient yew tree
Church of St John the Baptist, Ashbrittle
50.9838°N 3.3519°W
Location	Ashbrittle, Somerset
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Churchmanship	Conservative Evangelical
History
Status	Active
Architecture
Functional status	Parish church
Heritage designation	Grade II* listed
Designated	25 January 1956
Completed	14th century

History

The church was built in the 15th century and underwent extensive Victorian restoration around 1874.[1] The restoration included installing a clock. At the same time a spring was discovered under the church.[2]

Present day

The parish is part of the Wellington and District benefice within the Diocese of Bath and Wells.[3]

The church stands in the Conservative Evangelical tradition of the Church of England.[3]

Architecture

The red sandstone building has hamstone dressings. It consists of a three-bay nave, chancel and three -stage west tower.[1] One of the stained glass windows was donated by Edward Watkin in memory of his grandmother.[2]

In the churchyard is a 3-[4]4,000 year old[5][6] Yew tree (Taxus baccata) in the village was among the Great British Trees list that included 50 trees selected by the Tree Council in 2002 to spotlight trees in Great Britain in honour of the Queen's Golden Jubilee. The tree is growing on the top of a Bronze Age Bowl barrow. It is no longer one solid tree having divided into seven separate trunks in a circle with a diameter of 42 feet (13 m).[7]

See also

• List of ecclesiastical parishes in the Diocese of Bath and Wells

References

1. "Church of St John the Baptist". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
2. "St John the Baptist, Ashbrittle". Wellington and District Team Ministry. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
3. "Saint John the Baptist, Ashbrittle". A Church Near You. Church of England. Archived from the original on 21 April 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
4. "The Ancient Yew of Ashbrittle". Time Travel Britain. Retrieved 22 November 2008.
5. Rowley, Tom (2 May 2015). "4,000 years of British history in the shade of our 'oldest tree'". Telegraph. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
6. "The Church and Parish of Ashbrittle" (PDF). Somerset Routes. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
7. Warren, Derrick (2005). Curious Somerset. Stroud: Sutton Publishing. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-7509-4057-3.