Welcome
St Barnabas Church dates from the 14th century and is at the heart of the community in Queen Camel, a village in south Somerset equidistant from the towns of Yeovil and Sherborne to the south. We form part of the Cam Vale Benefice (together with West Camel, Sparkford, Weston Bampfylde, Sutton Montis and Corton Denham) within the Bruton & Cary Deanery in the Diocese of Bath & Wells. The church is open each day and we are always delighted to welcome visitors.
We are currently in a Vacancy but, in spite of that, the church community strives to offer support and fellowship to everyone through a wide range of services and formats each month which cater for young and old alike supported by a number of retired clergy who live within a few miles of the village. These services are always followed by refreshments and fellowship which form an integral part of our time together.
For those contemplating weddings, baptisms and funerals, we offer guidance and support to families and individuals throughout our community and also to the younger members through Camel Club and to mothers and small children with Bumps, Tots & Toddlers. When people are facing particular challenges in their daily lives, we offer practical support.
Continually we try to discover new ways of taking the church to the people by holding Songs of Praise style services outside during the summer; taking our Rogation Service on a local farm; having an outside Pet Service during the Summer; visiting groups of the elderly in their community centre and carol singing around the village in December.
Looking after our church building and churchyard in as environmentally-friendly manner as possible is continually at the forefront of our minds. Much of the impetus for this has been led by the children in the parish. Currently we have two areas within the churchyard which are kept unmown to encourage wild flowers to flourish which, in turn, attract butterflies and bees.
See more of our beautiful church in this aerial video.
The History of Our Church
The first mention of a church consisting of just a nave was in 1291. This was the forerunner of the present Church with extensive rebuilding taking place in the 14th and 15th centuries. The stonework is in Blue Lias and carved work in Hamstone.
The Tower (c1380) was built up against the earlier nave and is unique in Somerset being the only one created in five stages to a height of 96 ft. On completion of the tower, the nave roof was lifted to its present height and the north and south aisles constructed. This took place around 1400 as well as windows inserted on each side, greatly increasing the amount of light inside the building.
Within the nave can be found several notable features including the font, pulpit and lectern as well as the impressive Rood Screen.