St Beuno, Culbone
St Beuno, Culbone
St Beuno’s is a Grade I parish church in the Exmoor hamlet of Culbone, Somerset, in the Diocese of Bath and Wells, widely claimed as the smallest complete parish church in England and reached only on foot from Porlock Weir.
- Location
- Culbone, Somerset
- Country
- England
- County
- Somerset
- City / town
- Culbone
- Address
- Porlock Weir, Culbone, Somerset, TA24 8PB
- Postcode
- TA24 8PB
- Built
- Probably pre-Norman; C13 porch; late C15–early C16 nave; spirelet c1810; chancel reroofed 1888
- Architect
- C F A Voysey (reredos, 1927)
- Denomination
- Church of England
- Dedication
- Beuno
- Diocese
- Bath and Wells
- Parish
- Oare with Culbone
- Grade
- I
- Style
- Early medieval chapel with later medieval and Georgian work
- Materials
- Random rubble local stone, part whitewashed; slate roofs; slate-hung spirelet
- Grid reference
- SS 842 482
- Opening hours
- Open everyday.
- Access
- Level access to the main areas. Accessible toilets nearby
Overview
Historic England lists Culbone Church (list entry 1058037) as probably pre-Norman in origin, with a thirteenth-century porch, a late fifteenth- or early sixteenth-century nave that was refenestrated and reroofed, a spirelet added about 1810, the chancel reroofed and the east wall rebuilt in 1888, and the nave roof repaired in 1928. The fabric is random rubble local stone, part whitewashed, with slate roofs and a slate-hung spirelet. The plan is a two-bay nave with bellcote, south porch and chancel. The porch has a semi-circular headed opening and a barrel-vault roof; the north wall of the chancel has a Saxon two-light window with a leopard face carved in the spandrel. Listing NGR is SS 84217 48224.
The interior is rendered, with an unmoulded pointed chancel arch, a nineteenth-century wagon roof in the chancel and an original ceiled wagon roof in the nave. Fittings include a Norman baluster font, a circa 1400 three-bay screen (partly renewed), a seventeenth-century box pew and pre-Reformation bench ends. The reredos was designed in 1927 by C. F. A. Voysey and made by Mr Huish. One of the two bells is said to be fourteenth-century. The listing notes that the church seats about forty and has a good claim to be the smallest complete church in England. It stands in the parish of Oare with Culbone; there is no road access.