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The Great Britain Guide

Historic churches · South East England

Church of St Mary, Orchardleigh

Norman & medievalFree admission

Church of St Mary, Orchardleigh — church in Orchardleigh, Somerset, England, UK.

Church of St Mary, Orchardleigh, historic churches in South East England

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
30 min–1 h
Nearest railway station
Frome · 3.6 km
  • Free entry

About

Church of St Mary, Orchardleigh is a historic church in the United Kingdom. Records date its origin to 1201. Heritage designation: Grade I listed building. Affiliated with Anglicanism. Wikidata describes it as: "church in Orchardleigh, Somerset, England, UK". Coordinates: 51.2578°, -2.3259°.

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Heritage listing

The Church of St Mary is a 13th-century church in the grounds of the Orchardleigh Estate in Somerset, England.

From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.

From the Wikipedia article

The Church of St Mary is a 13th-century church in the grounds of the Orchardleigh Estate in Somerset, England.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

The church stands on an island in the 11.23 ha artificial Orchardleigh Lake in the grounds of the Orchardleigh Estate within the parish of Lullington, Somerset. It was built in the 13th century, and was heavily restored by Sir George Gilbert Scott for the Rev. W. A. Duckworth in 1878, whose relations held the estate at that period. It has since been designated a Grade I listed building. The church has retained its sculptures and stained glass from the 14th and 15th centuries respectively. Around 1800, estate owner Thomas Champneys of the Mostyn-Champneys Baronets had a moat dug around the church.

Visiting

Weddings are often performed at the church, which has capacity for 120 guests. It is reached from the mainland via a footbridge, and a public footpath runs nearby over another bridge across the lake. The church does not have an electricity supply and therefore services are candlelit. The organ is pumped by hand. The Anglican parish is part of the benefice of Beckington with Standerwick, Berkley, Rodden and Orchardleigh within the Frome deanery. The church was used as a filming location in 1974 for The Treasure of Abbot Thomas, a dramatisation of the M.R James ghost story produced by the BBC as part of its A Ghost Story for Christmas series.

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
51.2578, -2.3259
District
Somerset
Parish
Lullington
Postcode
BA11 2PH
Parliamentary constituency
Frome and East Somerset
Established
1201
Nearest railway station
Frome3.6 km

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Church of St Mary, Orchardleigh?
Church of St Mary, Orchardleigh is in South-East England, United Kingdom (postcode BA11 2PH), in the parish of Lullington.
When was Church of St Mary, Orchardleigh built?
Built or established in 1201.
Is Church of St Mary, Orchardleigh a listed building?
Church of St Mary, Orchardleigh is officially recognised as Grade I listed building listed.
Is Church of St Mary, Orchardleigh free to visit?
Yes, Church of St Mary, Orchardleigh is free to enter.
How do I get to Church of St Mary, Orchardleigh?
The nearest railway station is Frome, about 3.6 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode BA11 2PH.