St Andrew's Church
St Andrew's Church
Religion
Affiliation	Church of England
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Active
Location
Location	Steart, Somerset, England
Geographic coordinates	51°12′27″N 3°02′36″W / 51.2074°N 3.0433°W / 51.2074; -3.0433
Architecture
Architect(s)	Messrs Foster and Wood of Bristol
Type	Church
Completed	1882

St Andrew's Church is a Church of England church in Steart, Somerset, England.^[1] The church, which was built in 1882, is now used for services periodically.^[2]

History

St Andrew's was erected as a chapel of ease to the parish church of St Mary Magdalene, Stockland Bristol, at the expense of Rev. Henry A. Daniel, vicar of the parish, for £700. The vicar also provided the church with an endowment of over £1,000 under the requirement that at least one Sunday service would be held there each week.^[3] The building was designed by Messrs Foster and Wood of Bristol and constructed by Messrs Joseph Willis and Son of Bridgwater. St Andrew's opened on 30 November 1882.^[4]

In July 1962, the Bishop of Bath and Wells, Rev. Edward Henderson, dedicated a newly created pathway to the church, which had been formed across land donated by Mr. Stanley Stone of Church Farm. St Andrew's had previously only been accessible by crossing through a field. The dedication, carried out on 13 July, had been requested by Mr. Patrick Daniel, a descendant of Rev. Daniel. It marked the first formal visit by a Bishop of the Diocese to Steart.^[5]

The church was damaged by fire in 1986 after the bell turret was struck by lightning. It was subsequently restored, but the turret was not replaced.^[3]

Architecture

St Andrew's is built of red brick in the Early English style, with Staffordshire tiles on its roof. It was constructed with double walls, a bordered ceiling and bell turret. The interior is made up of a nave, south porch and vestry. The original seats were made from pitch pine.^[4]

References