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The church of St Andrew, Backwell, is outstanding in a county of splendid churches.
The building comprises the west end tower, the nave with north and south aisles, south porch, chancel, chantry chapel and sacristy.
The magnificent west end tower, which extends over 100ft, is similar to many other North Somerset towers (such as at Portishead, Winford and Batheaston) and dates from the 15th century. It contains a ring of eight bells, of which the tenor weighs 19¾ hundredweight, and of which numbers four and seven are medieval. The top of the tower and the south west pinnacle were probably rebuilt about 1603. The curious inscription on the west face and the quatrefoil windows in the intermediate stage are noteworthy. The top stage was rebuilt in the 17th century in a somewhat ungrammatical but nevertheless extremely attractive manner.
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The main entrance to the church is through the south porch in which there is a holy water stoup, a memorial to a choirboy, a medieval door and traces of the loft quite common in Somerset porches. Just outside the south porch stands the fine 15th century churchyard cross which was restored in 1966. To the east of the south porch, the old stair to the rood loft will be noticed. On the north side of the church is an extension built in 1983 which provides a meeting place and modern day facilities.
On entering the church it will be noticed that the builders took advantage of the sloping site to incline the floor upwards towards the east (as in St David’s Cathedral). The medieval screen is seen crossing the church separating the chancel and its aisle from the nave. The two lower sections of the screen were originally surmounted by the rood loft (the doors and stairs remain to the south), bearing the Rood or crucifixion with attendant figures; all would have been brilliantly coloured, and gilded in heraldic colour. Above the rood screen will be seen the enriched section of the nave roof called the cellure which, in its original panelled and coloured state represented a heavenly sky "floating" above the Rood.
To the south of the chancel is the Matthew Chapel and the site of the organ.
At the west end of the church is the Norman font and behind it stands a screen by W H Randoll Blacking, one of the foremost ecclesiastical architects of his time, who also designed the pews, altar ornaments, banners, processional cross, and churchwardens' staves. Much work to the fittings, including the entire re-pewing of the church, was carried out in the 1930s under his guidance.
On the north side of the chancel is the Rodney Chapel. The main opening into the chancel and its surrounding pinnacles and canopy work, are alike both in detail and design to the stellar recesses in Bristol Cathedral, and to other unique work at St Mary Redcliffe, St David’s Cathedral, and Berkeley Castle. The main structural work would appear to date from the 1360s and to be by the same wilful genius who worked on the buildings mentioned above (and also possibly the inverted arches of Wells Cathedral). This master mason (and his "school") was one of the greatest innovators and designers of his age and his work is now becoming internationally known. Bristol Cathedral's records were largely destroyed by the reform rioters so the mason's name is not known, though Nicholas ? has been suggested. The tomb (which is not in its original position), dates from 1466, the chapel being enlarged at this time. The "chapel was re-edified" in the early 17th century; this may well mean "re-assembled", following the destruction wrought earlier when chantries were suppressed. The south screen of stone was probably inserted (incorrectly) into the main arch at this time.
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East of the chapel is the sacristy which originally had an upper room. The well-carved reredos by Earp dates from 1870; remains of the original medieval niches may be seen on either side of the excellent east window which is probably by Clayton and Bell. The whole east end and roof was, in medieval times, a blaze of colour.