St Andrew's Church, Mells

St Andrew’s Church stands in the quiet Somerset village of Mells, a Grade I listed building whose present form belongs mainly to the late 15th century. The Perpendicular style of its nave and aisles is softened by 19th-century restorations, while the tower itself dates from about 1446. A previous church had occupied the site for centuries and, in 1292, belonged to Glastonbury Abbey with an annual value of 35 marks. The church also keeps close ties with the Asquith family and the Horner family, who once lived at Mells Manor nearby. The churchyard holds the graves of several notable figures from the 20th century. Among them are the poet Siegfried Sassoon, the priest and writer Ronald Knox, and Sir Maurice Bonham Carter, a politician who served in the Liberal cabinet. A white gesso memorial by Edward Burne-Jones remembers Laura Lyttelton, and a bronze equestrian statue by Sir Alfred Munnings honours Edward Horner, who died at the Battle of Cambrai in 1917. The interior contains a Norman font, coloured marble altars, and stained glass by William Nicholson, while a Burne-Jones tapestry hangs beside a tablet listing the village’s dead from both world wars. Visitors step into a calm space of white marble reredos and a richly coloured altar, with the Norman font standing near the west door. Stained glass from around 1850 fills the windows, and a two-manual pipe organ built in 1880 by Vowles fills the building with sound during services. The tower holds eight bells, the oldest of which was cast in 1716, and a small sanctus bell from about 1325 hangs in the chancel roof. Outside, the churchyard is bordered by yews and stone walls, giving a peaceful setting for the graves and memorials that recall the village’s past.