Church Of St James

ST 92 NE ANSTY ANSTY VILLAGE (west side)

3/34 Church of St. James

6.1.66

GV II

Anglican parish church. C13, restored 1842, 1878, 1917 and 1965. Dressed limestone, tiled roof. Cruciform plan; the transepts are C19 rebuilds. North transept has chamfered pointed doorway with hoodmould and double doors, group of three stepped lancets with hoodmould over, coped verge. Nave to right has pair of lancets, west end has diagonal buttresses and three stepped lancets with hoodmould, small stone bellcote with cross finial to gable. South side of nave has pair of lancets. South transept has Tudor-arched doorway to west, three stepped lancets to south. Attached in angle between chancel and transept is flat-roofed vestry of 1878 with chamfered doorcase. Chancel has pair of lancets to north and south sides and group of three to east end. Interior: Plain plastered walls and renewed roofs in nave and transepts date from restoration of 1965. Chamfered pointed arches on broad octagonal half-shafts to chancel and transepts. Chancel has plastered wagon roof, late C17 bench ends with well-carved foliage, said to come from Seth Ward's stalls at Salisbury Cathedral. Good late C19 stained glass in east window. Cylindrical stone font with stylised drop ornament, in north transept. South chapel has pair of good late C18 wall tablets; limestone and marble tablet to William Best died 1794 with fluting, broken segmental pediment with urn and scrolled apron, a similar tablet on opposite wall to Bridgette Lambert died 1792 with pediment and fluted pilasters. (Kelly's Directory, Wiltshire 1880; N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England; Wiltshire, 1975; P.W. Preston, By and its Crusader Church, 1980).

Listing NGR: ST9565226298