Church Of St Swithun

SU 2383, 27/3

BISHOPSTONE, LITTLE HINTON, Church Row, Church of St Swithun

(Formerly listed as: Church of St Swithin)

26.1.55

G.V.

I

Small Norman church recast in Perpendicular style. Three-bay aisled nave with south porch. Small west tower. Two-bay chancel. Rubble with stone slate roof, nave roof lead. Late C15 3-light square-headed foiled windows to clerestory and aisles, labels with shaped stops. Two stage unbuttressed west tower with pyramidal tiled roof and no west door; Somerset tracery. Gabled south porch circa 1500, possibly earlier, with moulded square headed surround and a 4-centred arch, with traceried spandrels. South doorway C12 with billet hoodmould. Small north door (C19, facing Vicarage). Priest's door to chancel.

INTERIOR: Two-bay round arched arcade with circa 1170s scallop caps and responds to south (squat earlier looking piers). North arcade C13. Interesting Norman font: tub on stem, upper band of triangular-headed arcading, then a band of saltire crosses, next a band of pre-Urnes-type interlace and a scroll pattern with an animal; band of cable work; lower band of compass-scratched intersecting circles. Roof: moulded ties with braces from corbels and moulded king posts, panelled. Victorian box pews. 1637 pulpit and reading desk. Chancel: pointed circa 1200 chancel arch with stiff leaf-type crocket nook shafts and chamfered arches. Two-light and quatrefoil chancel windows have rere-arches (but not in sanctuary). Three-light reticulated (probably C19 restoration) east window. Memorial to Elizabeth Kete (died 1630), bracketed columns flanking tablet and supporting entablature. Small graveyard contains a number of C18 and C19 headstones and tomb chests. There is a good mid-C18 example in the north-west angle of the church with scroll brackets in rebates, panels with carved drapery and oval panels with angels in the corners.

Listing NGR: SU2319583289