Church Of St Swithun

The Church of St Swithun is a late 13th-century church, likely incorporating an earlier structure, located in Compton Beauchamp. The majority of the church is constructed from chalk ashlar, with chalk and sarsen rubble used for the tower and sarsen base for the nave, limestone quoins, and dressings. Most of the walling is whitewashed, apart from the quoins and part of the tower. The building has a cruciform plan, with a porch and a west tower.

The east window is of Early 14th-century reticulated design. Late 13th-century windows include one two-light window and one pointed lancet on each side wall of the chancel. The north transept features a late 13th-century Y-tracery window and a window of intersecting tracery. The south transept was rebuilt around 1911, reusing much of the original stonework, and now contains two 20th-century windows and a 20th-century door with a four-centered arch and moulded architrave. Two two-light windows with arched heads, dating back to the early 16th century, are also present. The nave has two two-light windows on each wall; a blocked late 13th-century door with a two-centered arch is on the north wall, and earlier masonry is visible beneath the windows in the section of walling between the porch and tower. The chancel and nave have gabled roofs. The tower is built of sarsen rubble with decorative chalk bands, a string course, and two two-light late 13th-century windows.

The interior includes an altar frontal, reredos, and altar rail designed by Martin Travers around 1950. The east window contains some 14th-century glass depicting the Annunciation, along with a depiction of Our Lady and Child by Travers. A 13th-century piscina and a simple stone bench sedilia are also present, as are memorial tablets to Margaret and Christian White (died 1627 and 1618 respectively), and a small 15th-century brass floor tablet to William Frampton, along with memorials to Thomas Langley and Benjamin Langley, both rectors. The vine mural around the chancel walls was painted around 1900 by Lydia Lawrence of the Kyrle Society, and further depictions of birds, an owl, a bat, and insects were added around 1967 by Anthony Baynes and T.L.B. Huskinson. Screens for both transepts were constructed by Travers around 1947. The east window of the north transept has some 14th-century stained glass depicting the Crucifixion. The south transept’s grille depicting Edward the Confessor is also by Travers, who also created the oak vesting chests and cupboards around 1950. The rood above the chancel arch was designed by Travers around 1933, and the 15th-century font has a canopy also by Travers, dating to around 1933. Elaborate wall monuments commemorate Rachel Richards and her daughter Ann (both died 1737 and 1771 respectively), who lived at the Manor House, and their housekeeper Mary Cooper (died 1762). The nave features a late 19th-century four-bay arch-braced roof, and a Lady Chapel was added at the west end by Travers around 1934.