Edithmead Mission Church

Summary

A prefabricated, corrgated iron clad building, first erected as a school at East Brent about 1896 and re-erected for mission church use in Edithmead in 1919.

Reasons for Designation

Edithmead Mission Church is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:
* as an intact example of a prefabricated ‘tin tabernacle’, an increasingly uncommon building type;
* as an unusual and important example of a ‘tin tabernacle’ designed for secular use and repurposed as a religious building;
* as a good example of this building type, of modest character but with quality wooden interior and original layout, fixtures and fittings.

Historic interest:
* as an example of the versatility of this building type, evidencing its variety of uses;
* for its reflection of the historic religious needs and independence of this agricultural community.

History

Large scale production of prefabricated corrugated iron buildings began in the mid-C19 with peak production during the 1890’s. These buildings could be produced quickly and cheaply and were used for a variety of functions including housing, village halls, synagogues, school rooms, sports pavilions and warehouses.

A series of religious revivals during the C19 and early C20 century led to an increased number of people attending church and this building type, nicknamed ‘tin tabernacles’, were utilised to provide short term accommodation for congregations while money was raised for a permanent church. Despite their nickname, they are constructed of corrugated galvanised iron, rather than tin.

Corrugated iron was invented and patented in Britain in 1829 and was the first mass-produced cladding material of the modern building industry. It was a technological breakthrough, the corrugations giving strength and considerable structural advantages over flat sheeting. A further significant development came in 1837 when the process of galvanizing the iron with zinc to prevent rusting was patented. Manufacturers quickly recognised its potential for use in prefabricated structures, in iron or other materials, and several firms such as William Cooper Ltd of London and Francis Morton in Liverpool, produced a range of prefabricated iron buildings that were made available for sale in catalogues. By 1850 the technology was being exported all over the world by enterprising manufacturers and the first iron church is believed to have been constructed in 1855 in London and they eventually came into their own during the period from the late C19 up to the start of the First World War. They were still being built in the 1920s and 1930s.

The building, now the mission church at Edithmead, started life as an adult school in East Brent. Little is known about this original use; however, a newspaper article suggests that it opened in 1896 and was well established by 1906. It is thought to have been located on the southern side of Brent Road just to the west of the crossroad with the A370.

In 1919 the building was purchased by Rev. Prebendary G. I. Porcher and relocated to a small parcel of land, lent by Mrs Jesse C. Hembry, a local farmer, to become a mission church associated with the Parish Church of St Andrew’s at Burnham on Sea, two miles away. The church has been in continual use for religious purposes since this relocation.

The building is thought to have retained its original design; however, the belfry was recently replaced with a replica of the original retaining the original mission bell which is believed to have been forged in Bristol and was restored (2024). The original windows were also replaced with timber replicas in 2018.

Details

A 'tin tabernacle' mission church originally constructed as a school in East Brent and relocated to Edithmead in 1919.

MATERIALS: Built of timber on a brick base, clad in corrugated galvanised iron, with timber windows and interior.

PLAN: A simple rectangular plan with a small porch to the east.

EXTERIOR: A simple rectangular building with a pitched roof, eastern porch and lean-to, central roof turret and small belfry to the western end. The roof has decorative iron ridge pieces with a fleur-de-lys finial. Chevron boarded south door in the porch. Six windows on the eastern elevation, four to the north (including the lean-to) and one small window to the eastern gable. All windows are modern timber with four fixed panes and two opening lights at the top other than the fixed window on the eastern gable.

INTERIOR: Pine match boarded walls and ceilings (painted) and wooden floorboards. Fitted timber cupboard in the south-east corner and two small iron brackets above each window. The simple bench pews, lectern, dias and altar are not fixed. Door frames are stop chamfered and internal chevron boarded doors match the entrance door.

Sources

Books and journals
Smith, I, Tin Tabernacles. Corrugated Iron Mission Halls, Churches and Chapels of Britain, (2004)

Websites
Valencia Communities Fund Edithmead Church Page, accessed 22 march 2024 from https://www.valenciacommunitiesfund.co.uk/projects/edithmead-church-highbridge

Other
‘East Brent – Adult School’, The Weston-Super-Mare Gazette, Saturday, October 13 1906
‘Prebendary Preacher Leaves Burnham’, The Langport and Somerton Herald, Saturday, January, 10, 1925
‘Notes and News from West Country’, Bristol Times and Mirror, Saturday, August 16 1919.
‘East Brent – Adult School’, The Weston-Super-Mare Gazette, Saturday, November 21, 1896.

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.