Church of St Mary, Berkley


The Church of St Mary is a Church of England parish church in Berkley, Somerset. It is a Grade II* listed building built in 1751.

History

The church, dedicated to St Mary, was built in 1751 by Squire Thomas Prowse of the adjacent Berkley House.
The whitewashed stone church has a west tower and a hip roof with stone slates, while the nave has a central glazed cupola. Both this cupola and the organ have been recently restored. There are a pair of 17th century panel backed chairs. The font, pulpit and pews date from the mid 19th century..

Grounds

The walls and gate piers around the church date from the mid 18th century.
The graveyard contains the graves of the local population including some notable tombs. The tomb of William Hall is made of Doulting Stone and dates from 1670. The Bath stone tomb of Joseph Singer is inscribed for several members of the Singer family from the 18th and early 19th centuries. There are also several unidentified tombs.

Present day

The parish is part of the benefice of Beckington with Standerwick, Berkley, Lullington, Orchardleigh and Rodden within the archdeanery of Wells.
The church stands in the Conservative Evangelical tradition of the Church of England.

Services

There are services every Sunday morning, with a family service on the third Sunday of every month.

Village school

The local school was built around 1860, near the church. It is now Berkley CofE First School, with voluntary aided status.