Church of St Mary, Bridgwater

The Parish Church of St Mary stands in the centre of Bridgwater, Somerset. Built mainly in the 14th and 15th centuries, it replaces an earlier church founded well before the Norman Conquest. The present structure is large, with Gothic windows and an unusually tall spire that rises 174 feet above the town. Nikolaus Pevsner, the architectural historian, called the spire ‘exceedingly elegant’. Inside, a rare and unusually large painting of the Descent from the Cross hangs, attributed by some to Murillo or Carracci of the 17th century. The church is a Grade I listed building and a Major Parish Church, recognised for its size and historic importance. The church’s history begins with a record at the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066. By 1107 the site was granted to Bath Priory, and later passed through generations of local lords. In 1203 William Brewer returned the church to Bath Priory and began rebuilding in the Early English Gothic style. Work continued through the 14th and 15th centuries, adding aisles, a tower, and a spire supported by massive buttresses. The spire cost £137, raised largely by townspeople and donations from nearby villages. Visitors enter a spacious interior with a high nave and aisles. The rood screen from the early 15th century divides the chancel from the nave. The medieval choir stalls remain in the sanctuary, and a new octagonal vestry was added in 1854. The tower and spire were restored after lightning damage in 1814, when a crack forced replacement of the capstone and installation of a lightning conductor. The church’s stained glass and painted ceiling add colour to the stonework, while the tall spire dominates Bridgwater’s skyline.