Church of St Michael the Archangel, Compton Martin

The Parish Church of St Michael the Archangel stands in the Somerset village of Compton Martin, beside the winding Mendip lanes. Built in the 12th century in the Norman style and paid for by William FitzWalter, it grew over the centuries with a 15th-century tower and later Jacobean woodwork. The church is a Grade I listed building, and several of the monuments in its churchyard share that status. The building is recognised for its fine Norman work, including vaulting in the chancel and arcades on either side of the nave. A spiral-fluted column known as the apprentices’ column catches the eye in the south aisle. The tower, added in 1441, rises about twenty-one metres and holds six 18th-century bells. Inside the Bickfield Chapel a hidden space once housed 140 pigeons for the rector’s table. Visitors walk beneath a lofty Tudor arch to reach the tower. The nave shows late Norman features such as a clerestory, while the choir stalls and organ screen date from the Jacobean period. A recess in the north wall contains the effigy of Thomas de Moreton, uncovered in 1858. The font on its fluted pedestal and the Perp screen add to the layers of history within this quiet Somerset church.