St Pauls Bell Tower

The building is a former church tower dating to the 15th century, located in Malmesbury. Constructed of limestone rubble with ashlar dressings, it is designed in the Perpendicular Gothic style. The tower is square in plan and comprises three stages clearly defined by drip mouldings. A northwest octagonal stair turret is present, with clock faces beneath a broach spire featuring two tiers of lucarnes. The eastern side has 19th-century angle buttresses on the lower stages, a two-centred arched doorway set within a blocked arch, and a sloping roof line. The third stage features a two-light louvre window. The north elevation’s bottom stage contains a blocked shallow three-light, two-centred arch window with Perpendicular tracery above the transom. The west elevation mirrors this with a three-light mullion window on the third stage and a buttress on the bottom stage. The south side has a window similar to that on the west. The interior was not inspected during the listing process. Historical records indicate the tower was originally part of St Paul’s Church, first named in 1191 and situated on the site of St Aldhelm’s monastery church. The nave collapsed in the early 16th century. The building served as a private house and town hall until around 1623, with the chancel being pulled down in 1852. Originally the church included a six-bay nave, a two-bay chancel, and a north aisle, with the tower situated at the northwest corner. The arcade was constructed approximately between 1250 and 1270.