Compton Martin, St Michael the Archangel
The Church
The Grade I listed church of St Michael the Archangel stands in the centre of the village on a rise of ground with the pond and main road through the village on its north side. Fields leading up to the ancient woods bound the south.
The church is largely Norman with a chancel, aisled nave and mid-C16th tower. The chancel and north aisle were both heightened in the mid-C15th and the church was restored in 1858 and 1902 by T.G. Jackson.
The interior has a stone flagged floor and the walls are stripped of plaster. Fittings include a Norman piscina in the chancel, Norman font in the nave, a C15th carved wooden screen in the chapel, a C17th altar rail and C19th neo-Romanesque stone pulpit. A recumbent late C13th effigy in the north aisle possibly commemorates Thomas de Morton.
Above the chancel there is a void which contains a columbarium or dovecote. In 1606 this housed 140 squabs (pigeons) for the rector's table.
Our Work
Bat surveys carried out in summer 2021 found seven bat species using the church building, with Natterer's bat maternity roosts and individual Daubenton's bats in the north and south aisles, brown long-eared bats, common and soprano pipistrelles in the roof, lesser horseshoe bats in the porch and serotines in the columbarium above the chancel.
In July 2021 children from Ubley CofE Primary School visited the church to learn about bats and churches.
In June 2022 the church took part in the National Bat Monitoring Programme roost count with Avon Bat Group.
At the end of 2022 the church and local community helped inspire On A Wing And A Prayer, a multi media community art installation created by professional artist/photographer Ilene Sterns to celebrate the long-standing relationship between bats and churches.
The church uses its bats for mission and outreach. A bespoke interpretation board provides information about the resident bats and how the church has learned to coexist with them.
Compton Martin Case Study Poster
Compton Martin Bat Management Plan
Upcoming events
If you’d like to contact or find out more about the church, visit the website or their page on A Church Near You