CHURCHES in Somerset are bursting with history and architectural delights.

To help visitors and locals alike to discover them this summer, the Diocese of Bath & Wells has created a series of guides.

Each guide includes maps, photos and descriptions of what you can see and explore at over 100 churches across Bath and Somerset.

See some of the finest Jacobean carving in the country, chuckle at a cheeky carving of an unpopular bishop and stand at the altar where fictional heroine, Lorna Doone was shot on her wedding day.

Visitors can experience all this for free, although donations towards the upkeep of the building are always welcome.

“There’s so much more to Somerset churches than people might think. Our churches have fascinating and sometimes bloody histories and much of the architecture is world-class,” says Richard Tulloch, Church Use & Visitors Adviser at the Diocese.

“We want to share all this with local people who might not know about these treasures that are right on their doorstep, as well as tourists visiting on their holidays."

The guides cover the following areas - Bath, North Mendip and Weston-super-Mare; South Mendip and South East Somerset; The Moors, the Levels and the Parrett Estuary and Upland West Somerset.

Copies are available from local Tourist Information Centres or you can view or download the guides by clicking on the Bath and Wells diocese link on this story.

If you would like to order a larger quantity of guides to display and distribute via your business or organisation, e-mail Richard Tulloch: richard.tulloch@bathwells.anglican.org