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Ashbrittle (With Greenham) - Our parish
is served by the Wellington Team Ministry Group (Rector Rev'd
Colin Randall).
Minister:
Rev'd
Ian Brierley, Shady Oaks, 19 Immenstadt Drive, Wellington. Somerset
TA21 9PT.
Tel: 01823 666101. email: c.brierley@btinternet.com
Churchwarden:
Charles Doble, The Old Rectory, Ashbrittle TA21 0LQ,
Tel: 01823 672618.
email: Charles.doble@ukgateway.net
Secretary to Parochial Church Council:
Peggy Wotton, The Old Post Office, Greenham. Tel: 01823
672201
The Church of St John the Baptist is principally of Perpendicular
style, but the tower, north aisle and chancel were severely rebuilt
and the nave 'restored' in the 19 th century, largely due to the
generosity of the then Rector, Charles Penrose Quicke. He
also installed our fine clock. However, before we pass judgement
on our architect of those days, we should remember that many churches
were completely rebuilt entirely without imagination or style,
and many simply decayed into oblivion. From the records
we possess, our church was almost falling down when the work was
set in motion.
During this work a 'sacred' spring was discovered beneath the
foundations, so we come to the theme of our 'pagan' origins -
even the venerable Yew tree in the churchyard is claimed to have
had a mystical planting over 3000 years ago. As the church
is built and used for the worship of Christ, we pay our attention
to that rather than some questionable connexion with pre-history.
The stained glass is of interest, for the east window depicting
The Raising of Lazarus is from the workshop of William
Wailes. In the north chapel windows are important and unusual
pieces of workmanship, for the glass contains actual portraits.
It was given by Sir Edward Watkin and his daughter Marguerite
Sayer Watkin in 1881 as a memorial to Betty Sayer, his grandmother,
who was born in Ashbrittle. Sir Edward was a hugely influential
figure of the Victorian period, railway financier, entrepreneur
and Member of Parliament who never forgot his forebears and place
of origin. |
