St Michael's Church, Monkton Combe

St Michael's Church is the Church of England parish church of Monkton Combe, the dominating fixture in this small town in the English county of Somerset. The structure is mostly mid-Victorian and rather unfortunate looking. Predominately an example of Early English Gothic Revival, the structure has a steep pitched polychrome Welsh Slate roof and other aspects that clearly mark it froma distance as being a mid 19th Century construction. The main tower is surmounted by a gilded weather cock.

=Norman Church=

The town was owned by the Bath Abbey monks, hence the name Monkton Combe, and the first structure was considered to be an “ancient Norman” one, and the parish minutes of 1757 give a glimpse of the small church structure having a chancel with at least two pews in it.“The church is a small structure, 50 feet in length and 16 feet in breadth, covered with tiles; at the west end in a little stone turret hangs two small bells. It is dedicated to St. Michael.” [1]

Regency Church

“About the beginning of the XIX century,, when this little old church, after long neglect, needed extensive repairs, the inhabitant instead of repairing it, pulled it down and out of its materials build a new church of about the same size, seating only 95 persons, but to their minds no doubt more comfortable. It was erected in 1814 and did not last long. The Rev. Francis Pocock, being appointed vicar of Monkton Combe in 1863, found this church in a dilapidated state, and…for the needs for the parish, and had the courage to undertake the entire rebuilding of the sacred edifice.” [2]

=Victorian Church=

“It was first suggested that an aisle should be added to the edifice, but this, it was found, could not be done, and it was finally decided to raze the old structure and erect and entirely new building. Mr. C. E. Giles, of London, designer of St. John’s, Bathwick, was the architect, and the builder was Mr. S. G. Mitchell of this city [Bath] . The church was opened on Tuesday, July 4th…capable of seating 300 worshipers.” [3]

"St. Michael. 1865, by C. E. Giles, enlarged in 1886 (GR), rather terrible piece of architecture. Inside a Venetian later C16 painting attributed to Schiavone (on loan). –Plate. Chalice and Cover 1634; Spoon 1797." [4]

External links

* [http://bathdailyphoto.wordpress.com/2007/02/26/070226monkton-combe-st-michaels-pevsner-architectural-church-chat/// Photos of St. Michael's]

References

*Rev. John Collinson, "History of Somerset", 1791.
*Rev. D. Lee Pitcairn and Rev. Alfred Richardson, "An Historical Guide to Monkton Combe, Combe Down and Claverton" (Bath: F. Goodall Printer, 1924) 28-29.
*"Bath Chronicle", July 6, 1865.
*Nikolaus Pevsner, "The Buildings of England: North Somerset and Bristol", (Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books, 1958), 229.