Church Of St Mary

Church of St Mary, Lydiard Park

Anglican parish church dating from the 13th, 15th, and 17th centuries. The building is constructed of limestone rubble with some ashlar, with stone slate roof and lead covering to the aisles.

The main structure comprises a nave and north aisle dating to the 13th century, featuring three simple chamfered arches on piers; the western arch is hollow chamfered. The 15th century saw the addition of the chancel, tower, and south aisle with porch. The south arcade contains three arches. A south chancel chapel, also probably 15th century, was extensively rebuilt in 1633 as the St John family chapel. A 19th-century vestry was added west of the porch.

The windows are predominantly Perpendicular in style, with three-light windows featuring square heads and labels; two-light windows light the chancel. An 18th-century east window and side openings also survive. The three-stage tower is topped with 18th-century pierced parapets and pinnacles, with a later north stair. The bellstage windows feature perforated transennae. Angle buttresses support the walls. The nave has a three-light clerestory on the north side and three dormers on the south. A sanctus bellcote crowns the structure.

Interior features include a plastered nave containing wall paintings, some dating to the 13th century. On the north side are scenes from the life of St Thomas à Becket. The chancel arch displays a cross with six busts and texts below. The south wall retains fragmentary painted scenes. A 17th-century pulpit and 19th-century box pews are present. The medieval font is a plain octagonal bowl.

A 17th-century arcaded chancel screen, crested with royal Stuart arms and supporters, dates to approximately 1633. The chancel features a communion rail of around 1700 with excellent ironwork and monograms, possibly Italian. A segmental plaster vault painted with sky and stars covers the chancel. The north window, of two lights, contains reset 15th-century glass in the head. The east window, dating to around 1633, displays large figures and family arms. An 18th-century reredos with figures on canvas adorns the chancel. Side openings contain 19th-century glass.

The north aisle retains 17th-century reset dado panelling and 19th-century box pews. Reset medieval glass in the window heads includes the Queen of Heaven in the western window and Archangels in the eastern window.

The south aisle features a panelled and moulded ceiling, medieval glass in all window heads depicting some prophets, wall painting above the arcade, and 17th-century panelled pews.

The south chapel is separated from the chancel by marbled columns with entablature and wooden railings with iron gates. It has a panelled and marbled ceiling with beams and reset medieval glass in the window heads. The tower contains a west window of 1859 by Alexander Gibbs.

The church contains numerous monuments of significance. In the chancel is a monument to Sir John St John, 1615, a painted triptych on a chalkstone base with arms, attributed to William Larkin, featuring a family tree with figures of Sir John and his wife, and grisaille allegorical figures on removable panels added in 1699. Edward St John, 1645, is commemorated with a life-sized gilded figure standing in armour within a tent, with drapes held open by attendants and an eagle crest. A monument to Miles, 1841, was created by Reeves of Bath.

The south chapel contains a monument to Sir John St John, circa 1635, and his two wives, featuring alabaster effigies with eight kneeling children and four recumbent figures below, beneath an arched canopy on eight black marble columns within railings. Sir Giles and Lady Mompesson, 1633, are represented as sitting figures in arched niches bridging the south door, beneath a crested and pedimented canopy on columns. John, Viscount St John, 1748, is commemorated with a monument by Rysbrack in coloured marbles with richly carved arms and an obelisk behind. Two hatchments are also displayed.

Additional monuments include a stone wall tablet to Jane Hardyman, 1761, and a tablet to Walter Hardyman, 1774, both in the nave. In the south aisle is a monument to Nicholas and Elizabeth Seyihon (St John), 1592, showing earnest kneeling figures on a table under an arched canopy carried on Ionic columns, with symbols on the soffite and inscription on the frieze. A chaste tablet to Hon. John St John, 1793, by Lancashire of Bath, is also present.

The north aisle contains a pedimented marble wall tablet to Ann Pleydell, 1723, and a monument to Henry Pleydell, 1684, in slate and marble with arms.

The church retains several brasses. In the nave are brasses to William and Henry Kemp, 1642 and 1648; Yorke of Basset Down, 1650; Susanna Yorke, 1648; and Anna Danvers of Bainton, 1663, all with arms on separate brass. The south chapel contains a brass to Richard Corham, 1670. Various stone and basalt ledger slabs are distributed throughout.