Brian Earl recently presented a talk to the Friends of St Mary’s on the topic of The Ancient History of Beaminster Church.
Expectations were high as Brian Earl, in his usual inimitable style, transported us back 500 years to the 20 March 1526 when England was under the harsh authority of Henry VIII and the church in Beaminster was dedicated to the Catholic Church
As we settled ourselves comfortably into our seats Brian reminded us how the interior of the church would have been in ages past. Originally a huge empty space with benches set against the cold stone walls, available only for the old and infirm. It was probably in the 8th century that the Benedictine monks set up a minster on the site of our present church and called it Bebing Mynster.
In the 12th Century the Normans built a new stone church which was later demolished and rebuilt with the same stones some 300 years later. The tower, situated in the centre of the church, was later removed. The magnificent bell tower as we know it today was added on the west side. Brian’s talk, with pictures and diagrams, gave us all a vivid insight into this fascinating history.
Chairman of the Friends of St Mary’s Peter Brook welcomed Brian at the beginning of the talk and thanked him profusely at the close for an enthralling dip into the past. Church Warden Judith Hansen thanked the Friends on behalf of the PCC for contributing £24000 towards the £48000 project to install a new innovative lighting system in the church.
We all enjoyed tea and cakes afterwards and The Friends are delighted that the donations amounted to £575.10.
Thank you for supporting the Friends – we very much value your involvement. If you’d like to become a Friend please call into the Beaminster Team Church Office to collect a form or download a copy from this website.
– Sue Corner
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