Church Of St George

ST 92 NE FOVANT CHURCH LANE (west side) 3/176 Church of St George 23.3.60

GV II*

Anglican parish church. C13, C14, late C15, restored 1863 by T.H. Wyatt. Dressed limestone, tiled roof with fishscale tiled bands. Plan: west tower, nave, north and south aisles, south west porch, chancel with south chapel. Gabled C19 south porch has Tudor- arched double chamfered doorway with quatrefoil over, diagonal buttress to left, lancet to west wall and coped verge. South aisle has two 3-light Tudor-arched late C15 windows with hoodmoulds to left and square-headed 3-light window with hoodmould to right, buttress with offset. South chapel has reset C12 doorway with coupled columns and planked C19 door, east end has diagonal buttresses to both chancel and chapel, both with 3-light C14 windows with reticulated tracery and hoodmoulds, north side of chancel has C19 cusped lancet and pair of ogee-headed lancets. North aisle is lean-to with 3-light square-headed C16 window to east, remains of clasping buttress at east end of nave, north side of aisle has C19 three-light and two 2-light cusped square-headed windows and chamfered pointed doorway, west end has 2-light cusped square-headed window. Good late C15 three-stage tower has moulded plinth, diagonal buttresses and string courses, polygonal stair turret with open parapet against north east corner, west side of tower has moulded pointed doorway with angel terminals to hoodmould, 4-light Perpendicular window to second stage, 2-light Perpendicular windows with pierced stone louvres to bellstage, quatrefoil frieze with gargoyles to parapet of cusped triangles with open quatrefoils to merlons of battlement, south side has crocketed image niches and blocked ogee-headed window to second stage. Interior: porch has C19 inner door with painted biblical inscriptions, pointed doorway on east wall to aisle. Nave has pointed barrel-vaulted panelled ceiling. Tall double chamfered tower arch with C19 screen incorporating reset C15 cusped open arcading, polychrome tiled floor to baptistry in tower, Tudor- arched doorway to stairs. Four-bay north arcade has double chamfered arches on cylindrical piers, lean-to 4-bay rafter roof. South aisle has 3-bay pointed arcade on octagonal piers and moulded Tudor-arched doorway at east end of arcade, 3-bay C19 arch-braced collar roof. South chapel, now organ chamber. C19 moulded chancel arch has foliated corbels with ballflower ornament, pointed barrel-vaulted panelled ceiling, unusual double arcade between vestry and chancel. Fittings: C19 limestone octagonal font on marble column in tower. C19 stone and marble pulpit with relief- carved heads of Apostles and cast-iron and brass railings to steps continuing across chancel on low stone wall. C19 pews and choir stalls, 1833 charity board in nave. Brass plaque in chancel has Latin inscription recording the rebuilding of tower by George Rede, rector in 1495. (N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England, Wiltshire, 1975)

Listing NGR: ST9961929558