The church of St Luke & St Andrew at Priston is ancient and is reputedly of Norman origin. It has arches with bold geometric patterns in the Norman style. From The Church Rambler by Harold Lewis (London, 1876) in a section on Priston: The nave was rebuilt in 1859 under the direction of Mr. C. E. Davis of Bath, by whom the handsomely ornamented Norman arches beneath the tower were inserted, according to the guidance afforded by a few fragments of the original bold and massive mouldings which were found walled up in the nave. The Norman windows under the tower are also remarkable for their fidelity to antiquity. . . . The chancel was restored in 1869 by the advice of Sir G. G. Scott. With the exception of the roof it is a beautiful specimen of the best style of geometrical Decorated. The tower is in the centre of the church, a rarity for churches in the locality where they are usually at the western end.
There are two dozen plaques inside the church with, on the northern wall of the nave, an array of plaques in the form of shields for the Jenkins, Vaughan and Vaughan-Jenkins family. A war memorial as a white marble scroll lists four people.
From Good Morning of Sun 14 Jun 1944 p2: Some weathercocks though attached to sacred premises, have a history which is in strange contrast to their hallowed precincts. When years ago, a well-wisher gave a sum of money for the erection of a clock on the tower of Priston Church, Somerset, the amount of the gift far exceeded the cost. With the surplus it was decided to fix a weathercock in addition. Accordingly, the Priston parishioners being proud-minded folk, a bird was ordered for “one of the highest spires in England.” In due course, to the delight of the waiting parish, there arrived a weathercock large enough for a cathedral. Even then some funds remained; so the good folk determined to celebrate the occasion in the good old-fashioned way. Filling the hollow bird with as much beer as it would hold ― and it was many gallons―the villagers demolished the contents, then hoisted the empty cock to the top of the tower. And there, for many years now, proudly erect on one leg, it has fulfilled its appointed function.
