St Stephen's Winsham

Winsham parish is in Somerset bordering Dorset. It is rural and predominantly agricultural, but many parishioners travel to Chard and further afield for employment. There is a sheltered housing development of 24 dwellings with a common room facility. The PVL of the parish is 580.The village population is around 750 of which a large number are retired. There is a village school, the building of which is leased from the Diocese. The village shop is owned and run by the community. There is also a pub (currently for sale) and a community club. We have a regular bus service to Chard, Taunton and Yeovil. A new housing development has recently been built which includes affordable homes for younger members of the village. We contribute to the production of the Joint Parish Magazine, which serves the villages of Winsham, Thorncombe and Cricket St Thomas, with a circulation of around 430 copies monthly. There is a Primary School and Pre-School, and volunteers regularly take part in Open The Book sessions.

The church is 13th century flint and ham stone with a peel of 8 bells, and chiming bells. The churchyard is “closed”, and maintenance is the responsibility of the Parish Council. The seating capacity is approximately 120. We do not have a church hall or toilet, but do have access to the village hall. We recently removed 5 pews to accommodate a social area at the rear of the nave.

Welcome to St Stephen’s Church, Winsham

A place of worship shaped by centuries of history, faith, and the wool trade.

Nestled in the heart of Winsham village—a community of Saxon origin—this church stands as a remarkable witness to over a thousand years of English history. By the time of Edward the Confessor (c.1003–1066), the manor of Winsham was in the hands of the Canons of Wells Cathedral, and although it was briefly seized by Harold II, it soon returned to the cathedral after the Norman Conquest.

Origins and Early Architecture

While no trace remains of the original Saxon church, the present layout—a nave and chancel separated by a central tower without transepts—likely follows a Norman plan. By the early 13th century, the church and manor were part of a provostship of Wells, with the provost residing in Winsham. However, by 1234, due to limited resources, this role was merged with that of Combe St Nicholas.

It was likely around this time that the chancel was extended, as seen in the slender Early English Gothic lancet windows. The nave, maintained by the parish rather than the church, was probably not extended at this point.

Throughout the 13th and early 14th centuries, the chancel underwent further alterations. Evidence of this can be found in the Decorated Gothic tracery of two beautifully crafted windows.

The Black Death and Its Aftermath

In 1348, the Black Death entered England through Weymouth. Between October 1348 and April 1349, it is believed that up to 50% of Somerset’s beneficed clergy died. Nationally, around a third of the known population perished.

This devastating pandemic brought church building to a near halt. With so many artisans lost and labour costs high, most parishes—including Winsham—were unable to undertake major works for the rest of the 14th century.

A Time of Wool and Worship

By the end of the 14th century, Somerset had become a key centre of English wool production, supplying about a quarter of all woollens. With the resulting prosperity came a new religious fervour and the means to express it. Many churches were enlarged or remodelled in the 15th century, and St Stephen’s was no exception.

The result was a striking Perpendicular Gothic remodelling, which includes:The heightened central tower, The splendid wagon roof of the nave, Larger Perpendicular-style windows. The font and The almost unique Crucifixion tympanum panel

Inside the Nave

You’ll enter through the south porch, which shelters a fine 15th-century wagon roof. The vestry, a later addition, was built in 1929.

The west window, in Curvilinear Decorated Gothic style, likely dates the nave to the early to mid-14th century. Most other windows are 15th-century Perpendicular insertions. The west door has been recently converted into a window.

Look for a tiny hagioscope or ‘squint’ in the south pillar of the tower—a narrow opening allowing a view of the altar, possibly from a former side altar in the nave. Above it is the blocked rood loft doorway, once part of a dramatic pre-Reformation screen display.

The wagon roof, dating to the 15th-century alterations, features contrasting timbers and gilded bosses, including a Tudor Rose and a portcullis—symbols of royal authority.

The Jacobean pulpit is octagonal, with double Ionic columns and arabesque panel decoration. The Perpendicular font has quatrefoil decoration, cusping, and panelled stem work.

The Tower Base

The base of the tower was likely raised in the 15th century to accommodate new Perpendicular arches, though the corbel heads in the chancel date from an earlier period.

A highlight of the church is the remarkable tympanum panel—a rare medieval survival showing the Crucifixion. It stands almost alone in England for its form and placement.

The Rood Screen

The splendid oak rood screen is an exceptional late pre-Reformation survival, probably dating to the 1520s or 1530s. It features:

• Four-light side sections with central mullions rising to the apex
  
  

• Carved lower panels with foliage, a stag, and a falcon in a stick nest—the latter being the heraldic badge of Katherine, Countess of Devon, sister-in-law of Henry VII
  
  

• It has undergone significant restoration, preserving its intricate details and craftsmanship
  
  

A Living Church

Today, St Stephen’s remains an active parish church, loved and cared for by its congregation. While its architecture and treasures speak of the past, its role in the village continues. As you explore this beautiful building, you are walking in the footsteps of the generations who shaped, sustained, and worshipped here for nearly 900 years.

The Tower

As you step outside or look upward from the nave, take a moment to admire St Stephen’s impressive tower—a key feature of the church’s 15th-century Perpendicular Gothic remodelling.

This three-stage tower is built in the Perpendicular style, yet a lancet window on the east face of the second stage offers a fascinating glimpse of the earlier construction, likely dating back to the 13th century. This shows that while the tower was later heightened, its foundations are much older.

The tower itself is plain but dignified, topped with a handsome embattled parapet—a typical Gothic feature giving the appearance of battlements. On the south-west corner, look for the octagonal stair turret, which rises higher than the tower itself and is also crowned with battlements.

Each face of the belfry stage contains a single two-light louvred opening, in true Perpendicular Gothic style, allowing the sound of the bells to ring out across the village.

Today, the tower holds a peal of eight bells. In 1894, they were rehung—five of them newly cast at that time. Among the older bells:

• The fifth bell dates to 1875
  
  

• The seventh bell was cast in 1720
  
  

• The tenor bell, weighing nearly 13 cwt (hundredweight), is the oldest—cast in 1583
  
  

Together, these bells mark centuries of village life—calling the faithful to worship, celebrating marriages, and tolling for the departed.