Church of All Saints, Martock

The Church of All Saints stands in Martock, Somerset, on ground first consecrated in the 13th century. It was taken over in 1227 by the Treasurer of Wells Cathedral, who became rector and patron while living in the Treasurer’s House nearby. The present tower, built around 1505 in four stages, replaced an earlier central crossing tower and was paid for by Lady Margaret Beaufort. After damage in 1645 by Cromwell’s troops, who removed statues from the clerestory niches, the church was restored in the 19th century by Benjamin Ferrey and later by Ewan Christian. Inside, a plaster altar and an organ once used in Wells Cathedral remain. The building’s history is marked by repeated repairs and reorderings. In 1919 the Lady Chapel was restored and fitted with a new screen, and in 1921 the old Jacobean altar table was returned to its place as the High Altar. Three years later the lead roof of the tower and aisles was renewed. These changes show how the church has been cared for across seven centuries. Visitors find a Grade I listed church with a tall four-stage tower and offset buttresses rising above the nave. Inside, the stucco plaster altar and the organ from Wells Cathedral stand beside the restored Lady Chapel and its screen. The Jacobean altar table now serves once more as the High Altar, and the renewed lead roof keeps the interior dry. The church’s long arc of history can be traced in its fabric, from medieval walls to 19th-century restorations.