Church Of The Holy Cross

Church of the Holy Cross

Anglican parish church, mostly dating from around 1450 with a 14th-century west tower and a chancel of 1876 designed by A.J. Style. The building is constructed in ashlar with rubble stone to the tower, and features low-pitched lead roofs behind battlements.

The structure comprises a tower, nave and aisles, north porch and chancel. The low three-stage tower has a 15th-century ashlar bell-stage with plain two-light bell-openings, an embattled parapet and corner pinnacles. The earlier rubble stone portion of the tower has two-light former bell-openings, angle buttresses, a small two-light west window and a chamfered pointed west door with flat hoodmould. On each side of the window are rows of 18th-century arch-headed plaques under a cornice, commemorating the Crook and Wyatt families, with the earliest date being 1771.

The nave has a high clerestory with four large Perpendicular pointed windows on each side, a cornice with grotesque carved heads beneath pinnacles of an embattled parapet. The north aisle, rebuilt by John Stokys (died 1498), features large three-light pointed Perpendicular windows, stepped buttresses carrying pinnacles and an embattled parapet with grotesque carved bosses. It has a three-light east window and a four-light west window with carved clothiers shears in the moulding both inside and out, and an apex crucifix—a rare survival.

A large projecting two-storey north porch has an upper part dating from the 18th century with a three-light upper window with arched-headed beaded leaded lights and outside stairs on the east side leading to a fielded panelled door. The lower level has a moulded 15th-century doorway with Tudor arch and hoodmould, and a narrower moulded doorway inserted later. Stone seats and a 15th-century moulded inner doorway are present.

The south aisle is plainer in design, constructed in ashlar and embattled, with a Perpendicular style west window of 1889 and flat-headed south windows of three lights, probably also of 1889. To the left is a projection with a door and three-light above, probably altered in 1889, followed by rubble stone walling with two 15th-century three-lights and a moulded cornice. A three-light 15th-century pointed east window is present.

The chancel has similar battlements and pinnacles, two south windows and a five-light Perpendicular style east window, all dating from 1876.

Interior

The north aisle has a 15th-century five-bay timber roof with cambered tie-beams. The nave has a four-bay timber roof with moulded cambered tie-beams and arched braces on corbel heads. A two-chamfer 14th-century tower arch dies into plain sides. The four-bay arcades have four shafts and four wave-mouldings. The south aisle has a 15th-century timber roof in its two eastern bays, with the three western bays dating from the 19th century.

At the east end, a rood stair emerges at the south-east angle of the nave under a carved corbel head. The chancel arch is moulded and shafted, with traces of a painted rood above. The chancel contains an ornate late 19th-century Gothic stone reredos with marble shafts and panels, with tile mosaic panels on each side.

Fittings include a chancel east window with glass of 1884. Two south side memorials commemorate Lady M. Biscoe (died 1762) in coloured marble and Vincent Biscoe (died 1770). On the north side is a fine marble monument to G. Husey dating from around 1750, created by Ford of Bath. The nave has an ornate stone and marble pulpit of around 1890 with carved figures, fine brass candelabra from Melksham church, a 15th-century octagonal stone font and an elaborate west end memorial to the Tipper family by R. Broad of Box, dated 1719. In the tower arch are fragments of a former west gallery dated 1706 and 1726.

The north aisle has west end brasses to John Stokys (died 1498) and his wife, and east end 19th-century Gothic monuments to the Schomberg family. Late 19th-century glass in the north side windows dates from around 1910, 1891 and around 1855, with various 19th-century monuments including a Gothic one to Wadham Locke (died 1835) by W. Osmond. The south aisle has a memorial to Wadham Locke (died 1799) by T. King and one to Wadham Locke (died 1841) by W. Osmond.