Church of All Saints

The Church of All Saints stands in Merriott, a village in Somerset. Built in the 13th century, it is an Anglican church with a Grade II* listing. The hamstone walls and clay-tiled roof give it a warm, local character. A four-bay nave and two-bay chancel form the main body, with side aisles on either side. A sturdy tower rises at the west end, supported by corner buttresses. The church’s history is visible in its layers of change. A late 15th- or early 16th-century remodelling added new features. In 1860 Benjamin Ferrey led a Victorian restoration, creating a new chancel and removing galleries that had stood since 1830. The oldest of the six bells were cast in the 1730s by the Bilbie family. Once the advowson belonged to Muchelney Abbey. Inside, the fittings date from the 19th-century restoration. The nave and chancel open into side aisles, creating a sense of space. The tower houses the bells, their sound carrying across the village. The church remains part of the Merriott with Hinton, Dinnington and Lopen benefice in the Diocese of Bath and Wells.