St Bridget's Church, Brean Explained

St Bridget's Church, Brean
Pushpin Map:Somerset
Pushpin Label Position:left
Coordinates:51.2983°N -3.0099°W
Location:Brean
Country:England
Denomination:Church of England
Dedication:Brigid of Kildare
Heritage Designation:Grade II* listed
Designated Date:9 February 1961
Bells:5
Archdeaconry:Wells
Diocese:Bath and Wells
Province:Canterbury

St Bridget's Church, Brean is the Church of England parish church of the village of Brean in Somerset, England.

The parish is part of a benefice with the Parish Church of St Mary, Berrow. The benefice is part of the Archdeaconry of Wells in the Diocese of Bath and Wells.[1] Since the 1980s St Bridget's parish has been in a local ecumenical partnership (LEP) with Brean Methodist Church.[2]

History

The dedication to Brigid of Kildare, an Irish abbess who died in 525, implies that Brean was a Celtic Christian settlement.

The present church building has 13th-century origins but was largely rebuilt in the 15th century and again in 1882. The tower was damaged by lightning in the 18th century and rebuilt in 1729. The interior includes a 17th-century pulpit and a 14th or 15th century octagonal stone font. The church is a Grade II* listed building.

Bells

The tower has a ring of five bells. The third, fourth and tenor bells were cast at Bristol in about 1499. The Whitechapel Bell Foundry cast the second bell in 1880 and the treble bell in 2000.[3] The bells are rung occasionally for services and weddings by a band of bell ringers from both churches.[4]

Access

The church is open daily throughout the summer months. Next to the church is a church room with toilets and a kitchen.

See also

Sources and further reading

. Nikolaus Pevsner . 1958 . South and West Somerset . . Harmondsworth . . 92 .

Notes and References

  1. Web site: St Bridget, Brean . . . . 19 January 2017.
  2. Web site: St Mary's, Berrow and St Bridget's, Brean . St Mary's, Berrow and St Bridget's, Brean . 18 January 2017.
  3. Web site: Brean S Bridget . Smith . Martin . 24 November 2011 . . . 25 April 2017.
  4. Web site: Parish Profile The Benefice of Berrow and Brean. Diocese of Bath and Wells. 2 May 2017.