Church of St Mary Magdalene, Great Elm

The Church of St Mary Magdalene stands in the small village of Great Elm in Somerset. Built in the 12th century, it is one of the oldest surviving churches in the area. The building was enlarged in the 13th century with a two-bay nave and a tower added around 1240. The chancel was widened at the same time, and traces of the original Norman structure remain despite later changes. The walls still show herringbone pattern masonry from the earliest period. The tower has three stages, corner buttresses and a distinctive saddleback roof. The church contains fine examples of 17th-century woodwork. Some box pews date from the Jacobean era, and the pulpit is also from the 17th century. At the west end there is an imitation Jacobean gallery that once held the choir and organ. It is part of the Mells with Buckland Dinham benefice, covering several nearby parishes. The building remains a Grade I listed structure, recognised for its historical importance. Inside, visitors find a quiet place of worship with simple furnishings and historic details. The surviving Norman features sit alongside later additions, showing how the church evolved over centuries. The saddleback tower dominates the skyline of Great Elm. The herringbone masonry in the walls offers a glimpse of the original construction. The Jacobean woodwork and pulpit add to the sense of continuity in the building’s long history.