Church of St Michael and All Angels, Puriton

The Church of St Michael and All Angels stands in the Somerset village of Puriton. Built mainly from local Blue Lias stone, it has a tower that dates from the early 13th century. The rest of the church belongs to the 14th and 15th centuries. A previous church had occupied the site since the 11th century. In 1113 Robert de Chandos gave the church to Goldcliff Priory in South Wales. The building is recognised as a Grade I listed structure. The church consists of a chancel rebuilt in 1489 and again between 1859 and 1874. The nave, north aisle and south porch were rebuilt in the 15th century. The west tower has a pyramid roof and contains bells from the medieval Bristol foundry and three cast in 1725 by Abraham Rudhall. The parish forms part of the Link benefice that includes Puriton, Pawlett, Cossington, Bawdrip and Woolavington. Visitors find a quiet country church set among Somerset lanes. The Blue Lias stone gives the walls a warm grey tone. Inside, the chancel’s 15th-century windows still hold their original tracery. The tower’s pyramid roof rises above the nave, its bells silent except on special days. The south porch shelters an old oak door that opens into the nave. The churchyard holds yew and holly trees that frame the building against the sky.