Historic Churches in Somerset

St James is a restored medieval church that may be the oldest in Taunton, but the oldest part of the present building is 12th century. The striking tower overlooks the Somerset County Cricket Club ground. The historical highlight is a beautifully carved 15th-century font and there is also a pulpit dated 1633.
St James Street, Taunton, Somerset, England, TA1 1JS

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Heritage Highlight: Beautifully carved medieval font

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St Mary Magdalene is a magnificent late medieval church with the highest tower in Somerset and unusual double aisles. Inside the church are remains of an earlier 12th-century building. Most of the interior furnishings are Victorian, including a superb reredos behind the altar.
Church Square, Taunton, Somerset, England, TA1 1SA

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Heritage Highlight: The superb 15th-century Perpendicular tower

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At first glance, the west tower of Thurlbear's church seems oddly out of touch with the rest of this country church. The tower is 15th century and rises in three stages to a battlemented top. It is built of pale limestone, while the low nave and chancel are built of reddish stone, giving the whole building a peculiar two-toned effect.
Thurlbear, Somerset, England, TA3 5BW

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St Nicholas church is isolated from the intriguingly named village of Uphill, and stands on a rise just south of Weston-super-Mare, with views over the Somerset marshes and out over the Bristol Channel and the ancient Roman port of Axium.
Uphill Way, Uphill, Somerset, England, BS23 4TH

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A landmark for visitors to Exmoor, Upton Tower is the only remaining part of a 14th-century church. The church fell out of use in the Victorian period when a new church was built by the main road through Upton village in 1867, and the body of the old building was eventually pulled down, leaving only the tower, sometimes called Upton Old Church.
Eastmoor Lane, Upton, Somerset, England, TA4 2JG

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Heritage Highlight: 14th-century panelled tracery

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St Decuman's Church recalls the 5th-century Welsh saint who settled here by an ancient holy well. Look for memorial brasses and tombs of the Wyndham family, lords of the manor, and 13th-century floor tiles from Cleeve Abbey. The base of a medieval screen survives, as well as 13th-century glass depicting Edward I's arms.
Brendon Road, Watchet, Somerset, England, TA23 0HU

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Heritage Highlight: 13th-century floor tiles

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One of the finest early Gothic cathedrals in Europe, Wells is famed for its extraordinary west front, replete with carved statues of Biblical figures, and for its superb chapter house, reached by a worn, curving set of stone steps. The nave is braced by unique scissor vault, pierced by huge round eyelets. In the north transept is a 14th century mechanical clock. The best views of the cathedral are from the moated Bishop's Palace next door, home of the powerful bishops of Bath and Wells since the 10th century.

Cathedral Green, Wells, Somerset, England, BA5 2UE

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Heritage Highlight: Fantastic west screen carvings

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St Peter's Church in Williton dates to at least the 12th century and may have been founded as an act of atonement for the murder of St Thomas Becket. The church was heavily restored in 1856 but many medieval features remain including a pulpit made from a medieval screen.
off Bridge Street, Williton, Somerset, England, TA4 4NS

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Heritage Highlight: Pulpit made from a medieval screen

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St Mary Magdalene church dates to the 12th century, though most of the present building is 14th and 15th-century work. Look for the Norman doorway and font, and exceptional 13th-century ironwork on the door. The church boasts one of only 4 royal coats of arms to James I in an English church.
The Steep, Winsford, Exmoor, Somerset, England, TA247JQ

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Heritage Highlight: Norman tub font

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St Andrew's is a 12th-century church with late medieval rebuilding. The highlight is a Norman font with a fluted bowl decorated with chevron carvings. A medieval cross fragment is embedded into a tower buttress.
Withypool, Exmoor, Somerset, England, TA247QP

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Heritage Highlight: Norman font, c. 1170

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