Nempnett Thrubwell, The Blessed Virgin Mary
The Church
The present church building in the tiny remote hamlet of Nempnett Thrubwell dates from Norman times, but only the Norman south doorway remains; a plain arch with a Perpendicular period doorway within it.
The bosses and moulded ribs of the wagon roof remain, with traces of medieval colour on them, supported by stone corbels of male heads along the south wall and female heads along the north.
The nave was restored in 1864 and the chancel arch, chancel, sanctuary and vestry were built in 1897 in the Neo Decorated style.
The fine Norman baptismal font is carved with early C16th tracery and demi figures.
The most significant object is the fine oak rood loft and screen separating the nave and the chancel, attributed to Pugin the Younger by Pevsner.
Our Work
A large maternity colony of more than 600 soprano pipistrelles roosts in the roof space above the rood screen. The bats access the church via holes in the chancel arch and often get trapped inside the church where they perish. During the summer months the smell can become overpowering, with dead bats, droppings and urine scattered throughout the nave and chancel.
Working with the Bats in Churches project, Natural England and the Bat Helpline run by the Bat Conservation Trust, the church was given permission to close gaps where the soprano pipistrelles are entering the church, without disturbing the roost which will remain in the roof space. This work was completed in February 2021 but has not been successful as the bats are still finding ways to access the church.
The Bats in Churches project provided cleaning support to help the church volunteers, with a deep clean carried out in October 2022 by members of the Avon Bat Group.
Nempnett Case Study Poster
Nempnett Fact Sheet
Upcoming events
If you’d like to contact or find out more about the church, visit their page on A Church Near You