Originally founded well before the Norman Conquest, the present church is a large and impressive structure dating primarily from the 14th and 15th centuries, with both earlier remains and later additions.

[8] In 1180, Walter's grandson Fulk Pagnell, who owned the manor and the land the church was built on, granted the latter to Marmoutiers Abbey, near Tours, France.

[7] During 1203, William Brewer, who succeeded Fulk as Lord of Bridgwater, reversed his predecessor's grant to Marmoutiers, returning the church to Bath Priory in exchange for an annual payment of 100 shillings.

[7] In 1214, Bath Priory, by this time a cathedral, gave its remaining rights to Brewer's newly founded Hospital of St John in Bridgwater, in return for a pension of £4 13s 4d, which was paid annually until the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

A part of his body was in fact displayed over the East Gate at Bridgwater - a grim reminder to people such as Thomas of the consequences of disobeying the King.

To prevent a recurrence of the problem, a lightning conductor was fastened to the top of the spire and a long metal rod was placed inside, where it was bolted to the centre of the tower in the belfry.

The old gas brackets were removed, the blue lias stone floor replaced with tiling, the pews of the central nave shortened to accommodate a widening of the aisles, the stained glass overhauled, the restoration of the roof bosses in the chancel and the tower arch was unblocked.

[19] Following its closure in June, work to remove the flooring in the nave uncovered the tops of several burial chambers[20] of varying designs, which resulted in the project cost rising by over £130,000.

[21] A major aspect of the project was the cleaning of the nave's large hammerbeam roof, which had been covered in layers of wax, dirt, and unknown finishes.

During this time, additional work was undertaken on the pews, which were reduced in size, restored, and mounted on movable frames to allow a more flexible use of the interior.

[2] The Vicar and Chantry priests lived in houses on the opposite side of St Mary's Street, to the South of the church.

These included the renowned Dissenting Academy of John Moore,[4] at Christ Church Chapel which continued into the eighteenth century.

[6] The exterior is constructed from a mixture of materials, including distinctive red Wembdon sandstone rubble in the tower and chancel, blue lias limestone and Ham Hill stone.

The north and south transepts, with their accompanying porches, feature large oculus windows with tracery in the star pattern, made from Bath stone.

[1] The north transept has a late 19th century window with elaborate reticulated tracery; its door is flanked by green men.

[29] The chancel, like the tower, is constructed from Wembdon sandstone, which gives it a distinctive red hue, and has a large five-light east window, divided by transoms and mullions.

The chancel ceiling has 70 carved bosses dating from 1385-1416 with some additions in the Victorian era, depicting a wide range of topics including flora such as ferns, Christian symbols such as the Star of David, and mythical creatures like unicorns.

[1][17] The interior is unusual for balconies in the transepts, formed by the upper stories of the north and south porches which do not project externally, but internally instead.

One of the first windows to be replaced was the round oculus in the gable of the south porch, which Brakespear contracted to Alfred Beer of Exeter.

[15] The following year, in 1852, a much larger window in the Corporation Chapel was also contracted to Alfred Beer, with the cost donated by the then Mayor of Bridgwater, Thomas Ford.

[15] The main treasure of the church is its extremely rare and uncommonly large altarpiece; a 17th century painting depicting the Descent from the Cross.

[30] In the restoration of 1848-1857, the medieval rood screen was removed from its position separating the nave and chancel, cut into two, and one-half of each placed behind the choir stalls, where they remain to this day.

Each pillar is highly decorative, with a total of seventeen carved heads across the screen, facing the Nave and a fretted frieze running along the top.

Despite the costly rebuild and new additions, during the building work on the church, the organ was exposed to dust and the weather, which resulted in it failing in 1852, requiring it to be dismantled and sent to Bath for repairs.

A meeting was called in October 1868 to decide what to do, and it was voted by the parishioners to contact the renowned organ builder, 'Father' Henry Wills, for a quote.

[41][43] At the time of their 1899 rehanging, bell-hanging companies in the United Kingdom used plain bearings, which required regular oiling to keep them running.

[43][44] In the foundry, the existing 1899 cast iron frame was reorganised and extended on a new grillage to allow for the hanging of the five extra bells.

Taking one month to install, the bells were first rung on 24 July, but owing to the coronavirus restrictions in the United Kingdom, only four ringers were permitted to be in the tower.

The bells were formally rededicated at a special service by the Right Reverend Ruth Worsley, Bishop of Taunton, on 12 June 2022.

The first full peal on the new ring of twelve, comprising 5,037 changes of Grandsire Cinques, was rung by staff and supporters from John Taylor & Co on 4 March 2023, taking 3 hours and 22 minutes to complete.