Church Of St Nicholas

BIDDESTONE CHURCH STREET ST 8673 (north side) 9/16 Church of st. Nicholas 20.12.60

GV I

Anglican Parish church, C12, C13, C14 and mid-C19. Rubble stone with stone tiled roofs and coped gables. Nave, chancel and south porch with C19 sanctuary and north vestry. Saddlestone to nave west gable, crosses to chancel and sanctuary gables and fine C13 bell-turret to nave east end; stone, cross plan with nook-shafted posts carrying a short C15 octagonal stone spire with dripmould base and moulded cap carrying C20 weathervane. Nave: west window with intersected tracery and hood, C14 restored 1935. South side, C15 cusped 2-light with quatrefoil head, C14 south porch with chamfered 2 order arch and hood over, blocked west side door. Renewed roof timbers. C12 south doorway with 2 columns with carved caps to plain arch framing stone tympanum with cross in beaded circle. Oak plank door with nailhead studs and iron hinges. C15 4-light flat headed window with damaged cusping to lights. Hoodmould with carved square stops. North side, one bead moulded 2-light window, 1730 and c1900 vestry, slate roofed with brick dressings. Chancel: south side, one C14 2-light cusped window with quatrefoil head and C12 single arched light in splayed surround. Similar C12 window to chancel north side and a blocked C13 single light. Sanctuary, C19, has 3-light east window. Small buttresses to nave and chancel east ends. Interior: Nave c1800 box pews and late C18 west gallery with fielded panels to front. C12 font, circular with band of zig-zag ornament. C14 doorway to north vestry. Stained glass of 1938 to north window and c1906 to south 4-light window. C19 wood pulpit. C19 boarding to 5 bay roof. C15 chancel arch, slightly pointed, moulded continuously. Chancel: C19 boarded roof. Sanctuary arch, C19, similar to chancel arch. Sanctuary east window 1905 by Bell of Bristol. Good series of wall plaques from c1695 to c1823 to Mountjoy family in chancel, one of 1734 signed M. Sidnell, one of 1807 signed Brewer of Box. In nave C17, C18 and early C19 plaques. (Pevsner N: Wiltshire 1975, 110-111).

Listing NGR: ST8617373544