Now known as Churchtown, the tiny original village of Backwell (‘stream coming from the ridge’) nestles in a shallow combe in the northern scarp of the limestone ridge which defines the southern side of the Yeo valley. It lies, at an altitude of about 60m above OD, on the very upper part of the Dolomitic Conglomerate bedrock, just below the Clifton Down Limestone of the ridge. This ridge rises above Backwell to a height of about 170m above OD. Naturally, Backwell is close to several limestone quarries: there are at least three within a kilometre of the church, the nearest a mere 200m from the church, in Cheston Combe. Below the original village centre, the geological sequence down to the river valley Alluvium is the expected Mercia Mudstone (Keuper Marl), then Head.
Running along the bottom of the NW-facing slope is the extremely busy A370 linking Bristol with Weston-super-Mare and the M5 just short of Weston. Predictably, Backwell has expanded in a ribbon along this road (and also along the three lanes which run downhill to the north, north-west and west from Churchtown to meet the main road). Continuing expansion is filling gaps. Contemporary Backwell is a very large dormitory settlement indeed. The middle of the three lanes mentioned continues across the A370 towards the even larger dormitory of Nailsea, past the railway station; there is a small stretch of road within the parish N of the station not bordered by houses; otherwise, Backwell and Nailsea would be connected. The railway is the main Bristol-Exeter line of the former GWR. It is very busy, mostly with long-distance trains, but some such stop at Nailsea and Backwell station because of strong commuter demand.
Despite all the recent development, there is a fine view from Backwell church across the mostly pastoral landscape of the Yeo valley, skirting the eastern edge of Nailsea, to the original local mother church of Wraxall (3.5km to the N). Taking a view which skirts the western edge of Nailsea, one may also see Chelvey church (2.7km to the W), nowadays closely connected with the Backwell ministry.
The church consists of W tower, nave with N and S aisles and S porch, and a chancel with N and S chapels. Construction is of coursed, squared rubble with freestone dressings except for the tower, which is of ashlar. It dates from the 12thc and was altered and enlarged in the 13thc and in the 15thc, when the 100ft tower was added. Further alterations were made in the 16thc, and it was restored in the 17thc. A new building attached to the N side of the church and containing social and office space was added in 1984. Romanesque features described here are the font, a reset chip-carved stone in the S (Rodney) chapel and a head serving as a label stop, possibly re-used, on the S chancel doorway.
