Swing Bridge, Bow Street, Langport

Outside the former Railway Hotel on the west side of the River Parrett in Bow Street, Langport Westover, there is a very unusual iron swing footbridge.  

Until 1853, when the railway line from Durston to Yeovil via Langport was built, the turnpike road through Langport went past the door of the hotel, which was a pub at this time.  However the level of the turnpike road (now the A378) had to be raised so that it could cross over the railway line, which ran in a NNW-SSE direction.  The road was slightly re-aligned and embanked from the west end of Bow Bridge and a vertical stone retaining wall was built on the northern side of the embankment. The original turnpike road then became an access road to warehouses on the west side of the pub.  

The Railway Hotel was built in 1906 on the site of an earlier pub, which had burnt down.  It was decided to have the main door on the first floor, which was roughly level with the pavement of the raised main road.  However a fixed bridge would have been too low for vehicles using the access road to pass underneath it and there wasn't enough space for a conventional swing bridge.  A swing bridge comprised of two sections, which swing and close together like scissors, was the solution.  The bridge was opened and closed using a hand crank.  It is no longer in use.  The hotel was converted into six flats in the late 1980s.

Swing bridge, Bow Street, Langport

Swing bridge mechanism

Door on the first floor of the former Railway Hotel, Langport

Modern Stained Glass Windows

Most parish churches in Somerset have some stained glass windows, many of which depict scenes from the Bible and are centuries old.  However this blog post is dedicated to modern stained glass windows, which are located mainly in churches but occasionally elsewhere e.g. village halls.  Modern stained glass windows are usually light and bright.  Many of them were given in memory of people.

St Mary's Church, Luxborough

I presume this is a millennium window, as it has the date 2000 on it.  It also says "All generations shall call me blessed.", which is what Mary, the mother of Jesus is quoted as saying in Luke Ch1 v48.  

Priddy

This window in St Lawrence's Church, was given in memory of Catherine Gibbons of Eastwater Farm who died on 6th October 1988 aged 19 years.

East Window, St Peter and St Paul's Church, Odcombe

This window is in memory of a Christian writer and missionary called Constance Padwick, who died in 1968.  The artist who created the window was apparently Christine Arnatt.

Good Shepherd Window, St Peter and St Paul's Church, Odcombe

In the bottom right hand corner of the window it says simply "Feed my sheep", which Jesus is quoted as saying in John Ch21 v17.

Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Cheddon Fitzpaine

St John the Baptist Church, Biddisham

On this window it says "Of his kingdom there shall be no end". This is a quotation from the Gospel of Luke Ch1 v33.  The window was made by Gilroy, Bristol Stained Glass in 2000, which presumably makes it a millennium window.

Kingfisher window in All Saints Church, Lopen Church

Wheddon Cross Village Hall

The red band around the central picture contains a quotation from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem Frost at Midnight.  It says "Therefore all seasons shall be sweet to thee".  The window depicts plants and wild and domesticated animals that are found on Exmoor e.g. Exmoor ponies, red deer, buzzards, foxes, sheep and owls.

Daffodils or maybe sunflowers? at St Nicholas' Church, Porlock Weir (a tin tabernacle)

St Andrew's Church, Mells

This window is in memory of Sir John Francis Fortescue Horner, "who worshipped God in this chapel through all the years of his life.  Unto whom God gave a wise and understanding heart.  Behold such a man as this entered in to the inheritance of peace and quietness".  Sir John Horner (1842-1927) was a barrister and he lived in Mells Manor.  The window was designed by Sir William Nicholson and depicts St Francis of Assisi preaching to the fish and birds.

Church of St Mary and St Andrew, Pitminster

"I will make you fishers of men" Matthew Ch.4 v.19

Church of St Nicholas, Corfe

St John the Baptist Church, Ashbrittle

Church of St John the Baptist, Frome

In 1990 stained glass artist, Mark Angus was commissioned to make a stained-glass window of a historical timeline commemorating important events in Britain since 597. The events illustrated are from bottom to top:

597 St Augustine lands in Kent

685 St Aldhelm establishes the first church in Frome (the town is depicted with as a red heart with the River Frome running through it).

1066 Norman Conquest of Britain

1349 The Black Death

1536 Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII

1914-1918 First World War

1939-1945 Second World War

1945 The Atom Bomb (mushroom cloud)

1985  After 1300 years St Aldhelm's Church is still shining the light of the Gospel

It was manufactured by Derix Studios in London and Taunusstein in Germany.  It is stunning.

Wildlife triptych, St Mary Magdalene's Church, Winsford

Winsford

Winsford

Daffodil window in Luccombe Church

Millennium Window, St Andrew's Church, Old Cleeve

This window was commissioned by the Parochial Church Council to mark the Millennium.  It was designed and made by local artist Frankie Pollak.  It features an eclipse of the sun, ammonites, the churchyard pink sweet pea and the nets and fish of St Andrew.

Saint Roch with his dog at his feet, Pendomer Church

Tree of Life window at St Roch's Church, Pendomer

Millennium Window, St Martin's Church, Worle
It features a dove of peace.

Millennium Window

St Peter & St Paul's Church, South Petherton

Bellringers' Window

St Peter & St Paul's Church, South Petherton

This window is dedicated to all the bellringers in the parish, past and present.  It was given by Reg Beale in memory of his parents Reginald Beale (1907-1988) and Phyllis Beale (1912-2004) and was unveiled in 2012.

Millennium Window, St Mary's Church, Stoke St Mary

The window was commissioned by Stoke St Mary Church Committee and Stoke St Mary Millennium Committee and was dedicated on 10th September 2000.  It was made by Patrick Reyntiens (1925-2021), a leading British stained glass artist, who moved to Somerset in 1982. The window depicts the story of St Anne and her husband St Joachim, teaching the Virgin Mary to read.  It was chosen because the window formed part of St Anne's Chapel.  St Anne and Mary are linked by a scroll on which the following verse from Isaiah Ch9 v6 is written in Hebrew: For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.

The Queen's Golden Jubilee Window, St Mary's Church, Stoke St Mary

This window was also designed and made by Patrick Reyntiens and was installed in July 2003. It depicts the Day of Pentecost, as recorded in Acts Ch2 v2-4: Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

The Queen's Golden Jubilee Window, St Mary's Church, Stoke St Mary

This window was also designed and made by Patrick Reyntiens and installed in July 200.  It  depicts the Annunciation as recorded in Luke Ch1 v26-33: God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you. Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favour with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end."

Ilminster Grammar School Window, The Minster, Ilminster

This window in the Lady Chapel commemorates Ilminster Grammar School, which was open in Ilminster from 1548-1971. It incorporates the motto from the school's crest: Ingredere ut proficias (which means Enter in order to progress) and the coat of arms of the Old Ilminsterians Association. It was commissioned by former pupils of the school to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the association and was designed by John Reyntiens.  The green plant in the central lancet window represents growth towards eternity.  The blue triangles on the right and left hand lancet windows represent the water needed for growth.  The blue, white and gold triangles remind us of the Holy Trinity.  Ilminster Grammar School nurtured and educated the children of Ilminster for more than 400 years.  The window was dedicated on 14th July 2007 by the Right Reverend Peter Maurice, Bishop of Taunton.