I have painted Pilton church before but this time I thought I would take a bit of time to learn more about its history.
Pilton sits in a steep dell with the church sitting on a rather precipitous Somerset hill. As you come into the village you are more or less level with the top of the tower!
The road then drops steeply in an arc following the line of the modest graveyard to finally end up in front of the church that looms above. It looks very grand from this point of view as you are now beneath the floor level. In fact you then have to climb a set of stairs just to get to the front door.
A history of Pilton Church Somerset
Like many ancient sites the church here in Pilton has been added-to over the centuries. In this case thats a very long time indeed, over a thousand years in fact. It was first mentioned in a charter by king Ine (whoever he was) in 725, and was under the direct obedience to the Abbot Of Glastonbury, the town of which, is about six miles up the road. Nothing of the original buildings are visible today, with the earliest visible part being from the 12th Century, namely the base of the tower on the left. Most of the rest of the exterior was built in the 15th Century when the wool trade was generating a fortune and swelling the coffers of Glastonbury Abbey. That lasted until the 16th century when the party was shut down by Henry VIII’s reformation.
Of course additions, and repairs still go on to this very day. Some of the recent funding for this was provided by The Glastonbury Festival, which is held a few hundred meters away, on the opposite side of the hill.
Pilton Village today
As Pilton is still a thriving community, we still have a fully functioning bell tower, complete with local bell ringers. As well as ringing for weddings, they practice each Tuesday night and we push open the windows just to listen. The voice of a community.
I often paint in The Cotswolds, where there are equally beautiful churches. Many of the local houses however, are now second homes so there is no one to ring the bells. And no one to fill the church notice board announcing jumble sales and fetes. Very sad.
We are fortunate to still have a working clock as well. On wandering back from the pub or village club on dark nights, I hear it toll midnight, and lament that I was initially determined to get back home by 10.30.
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20cm x 26cm giclee print. See below for Additional Information.
I have painted Pilton church before but this time I thought I would take a bit of time to learn more about its history.
Pilton sits in a steep dell with the church sitting on a rather precipitous Somerset hill. As you come into the village you are more or less level with the top of the tower!
The road then drops steeply in an arc following the line of the modest graveyard to finally end up in front of the church that looms above. It looks very grand from this point of view as you are now beneath the floor level. In fact you then have to climb a set of stairs just to get to the front door.
A history of Pilton Church Somerset
Like many ancient sites the church here in Pilton has been added-to over the centuries. In this case thats a very long time indeed, over a thousand years in fact. It was first mentioned in a charter by king Ine (whoever he was) in 725, and was under the direct obedience to the Abbot Of Glastonbury, the town of which, is about six miles up the road. Nothing of the original buildings are visible today, with the earliest visible part being from the 12th Century, namely the base of the tower on the left. Most of the rest of the exterior was built in the 15th Century when the wool trade was generating a fortune and swelling the coffers of Glastonbury Abbey. That lasted until the 16th century when the party was shut down by Henry VIII’s reformation.
Of course additions, and repairs still go on to this very day. Some of the recent funding for this was provided by The Glastonbury Festival, which is held a few hundred meters away, on the opposite side of the hill.
Pilton Village today
As Pilton is still a thriving community, we still have a fully functioning bell tower, complete with local bell ringers. As well as ringing for weddings, they practice each Tuesday night and we push open the windows just to listen. The voice of a community.
I often paint in The Cotswolds, where there are equally beautiful churches. Many of the local houses however, are now second homes so there is no one to ring the bells. And no one to fill the church notice board announcing jumble sales and fetes. Very sad.
We are fortunate to still have a working clock as well. On wandering back from the pub or village club on dark nights, I hear it toll midnight, and lament that I was initially determined to get back home by 10.30.