Evesbatch
St Andrew
This Church is a Festival Church and holds occasional services throughout the year.
Evesbatch is the smallest parish in the Frome Valley group set beside a most impressive manor house. We have approximately 19 households and population of about 50. The community was once agricultural; but today, the majority of workers commute to nearbytowns and cities. The regular congregation is small (all adult) but, as is usual in rural communities, the church receives much support from the non-church attending community.
Although the attendance at our once-a-month BCP communion service is fairly low, the church can be packed at major festivals including Harvest and Christmas. Evesbatch is very much a family orientated church but as, at present, there are no children living within the parish, we are very much reliant on the older generation who wish to celebrate at festivals etc. However there are signs of a new generation being born into our community and we hope that these younger families may become part of our active church in the future.
Much of our effort is devoted to maintaining our church and our well-kept churchyard. St.Andrew’s dates back to the 1300s, though it was extensively restored in 1877. The church is small, having seating for just 50 people, but its history and charm make up for its size.
The church has received funds from HRH Prince of Wales in the past and the building has some important features. The East Window commemorates the Revd Richard Seddon, the rector who instigated the restoration of the church. The window is an early work of the famous Victorian stained glass designer C.E.Kemp. On the west wall are two fine monuments from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. We are currently raising money for their extensive restoration.
History
When Sir Stephen Glynne visited Evesbatch in 1873 he stated that the church "has a neglected look"! Fortunately the Victorians saw fit to put this right as within four years the church had been largely rebuilt in the attractive form we see today.
Only one medieval window remains but there are some ancient bench ends and the simple Norman font boasts an exceptional Jacobean cover. The photograph here shows the monument to Margaret Dobyns.