St Martin sits in the pretty village of Zeals, a short drive from the famous house and gardens at Stourhead. It's a tranquil spot, despite the faint roar of traffic on the A303 nearby.
The church is an early example by George Gilbert Scott, and was paid for by the Grove family of nearby Zeals House. The design adopts Decorated Gothic throughout, and reflects the growing confidence and maturity of Scott in the Gothic Revival style, which he adopted only a few years before. It was completed in 1846.
The church comprises a nave, chancel, north vestry and south porch, with a tower and spire added in 1876. The latter is something of an idiosyncratic design, with a two-stage square tower, surmounted by an octagonal upper bell-stage with angled pinnacles, and topped with a spire, which is itself detailed with little gabled windows.
The interior is dominated by the triple-moulded chancel arch and the hammer-beam roof, the east beams of which sit against the east nave wall, and seem to bounce off the chancel arch. The windows in the chancel all contained stained glass; the tracery of the three-light east window is particularly delicate and attractive.
The furnishings are all Victorian, and include a Sweetland organ and a banner of St Martin in the pre-Raphaelite style, donated by Julia Chafyn Grove, who inherited the Zeals estate in 1865.
The church has a weekly mid-week Communion and a Sunday service once a month, shared as part of the Upper Stour benefice.
St Martin, Portnells Lane, Zeals BA12 6NL
