Crewkerne

Crewkerne is a town in Somerset, England, situated nine miles south west of Yeovil and seven miles east of Chard in the South Somerset district. The town has a population of 6,705^[1]. The town lies on the River Parrett, A30 road and West of England Main Line railway.

[edit] History

The town grew up in the late mediaeval period around the textile industry, its wealth preserved in its fifteenth century parish church. It later prospered as a coaching stop in the Georgian period. Notable Georgian buildings include Crewkerne Town Hall.

St Bartholomew's Parish Church in Crewkerne is one of the most beautiful and interesting of the many splendid churches in Somerset. Standing on higher ground west of the town centre, it is the focal point of an attractive rural prospect of the western side of the town. The first church on this site was founded in Saxon times, before the end of the 9th century, as a "minster", the mother church of a Saxon royal estate that included the later parishes of Seaborough, Wayford and Misterton. Nothing remains of this church, which was replaced after the Norman Conquest with a substantial stone building, cruciform in shape and with a central tower in the same pattern as the present one. This, in turn, was almost completely rebuilt on a grander scale, in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. The result was, essentially, the church we have today, a superb example of the Perpendicular style with many unusual and individual features. Among these we may include the monumental west front, the high and spacious, though short, nave, the vast six-light aisle windows and the impressive collection of Tudor-style chapels and windows in the north east corner. The building material throughout is the beautiful golden-coloured Ham Hill stone, quarried a few miles north of Crewkerne.

No major structural alterations have taken place since the Reformation in the 1530s and 1540s, but there have been drastic changes to its furnishings and fittings to suit the various phases of protestant worship that followed. Considerable damage, including the destruction of virtually all of the medieval stained glass, was done during the Civil War. By the early 19th century, all the medieval furnishings, except the font (a survival from the Norman church) had disappeared and the church was re-pewed and galleries added in 1808-11. The principal restoration that left the church interior as we see it now, took place in the late 19th Century; it was more sympathetic to the church's architectural character than many Victorian restorations. At this time, the central section of the west gallery was removed to reveal the great west window and the organ that stood there was relocated to the south transept. The pews date from around 1900 and have attractive carved bench-ends.

Like many Anglican churches, St Bartholomew's has to reconcile the conservation of a Grade 1 historic building with 21st century expectations in terms of comfort and facilities. The Parish Plan, however, adopts a positive tone and states that "the outstanding historic quality of our church building is an asset which plays a major role in welcoming people".

Crewkerne is also home to Wadham Community School, which is currently under special measures, following failing a recent OFSTED report.