Old Church of St Nicholas, Uphill

The Old Church of St Nicholas stands on a cliff top above Weston Bay in Somerset. It is a partly ruined Norman building with a three-stage tower, a chancel and a roofless nave. The church overlooks Brean Down and the mouth of the River Axe. A nearby ruined tower once served as a windmill in the late 18th century. The cliff top and the adjacent quarry form the Uphill Cliff Site of Special Scientific Interest. The church was once managed by the abbot of St Michael’s monastery on Steep Holm island. By the 19th century it had fallen into disrepair, so a new church was built in 1844 and services moved there in 1846. The nave roof was removed in 1879 after becoming unsafe, and the porch was rebuilt in 1904. It is now a Grade II* listed building in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. Inside, the chancel remains roofed and is used for occasional services. The nave shows three carved sundials, one of which may predate the Norman Conquest. The site’s grassland supports orchids, Somerset Hair Grass and several butterfly species. The view across the bay and the limestone cliffs adds to the quiet atmosphere of the place.