Church Of St Aldheim

BISHOPSTROW BISHOPSTROW VILLAGE ST 84 SE (off east side) Church of St. Aldhelm 3/1 (formerly listed as St Aldhelms Parish Church) 17.8.81 GV II*

Anglican parish church. C14, chancel of 1842, restored 1876 by Scott Champion. Dressed limestone, Welsh slate roof with ceramic ridge cresting. Consisting of nave, west tower with recessed spire, chancel and north east vestry. C19 pointed west doorway and door with highly ornamental hinges, C19 plate tracery and trefoiled lancets in chamfered pointed arch over. Three-stage C14 tower has diagonal buttresses, cusped lancets to second stage, offset bellstage has pair of cusped lancets with square hoodmoulds to each face, string course with gargoyles to battlemented parapet, recessed octagonal spire has crocketed capping. Restored nave has offset buttresses, string course at sill level, two 2-light Decorated style windows with hoodmoulds, reset early C18 bolection- moulded tablet. Chancel with more steeply pitched roof, two 2- light Decorated style windows with hoodmoulds, reset C17 wall tablet with good lettering, east end has diagonal buttresses and 4- light C19 window with flowing tracery and hoodmould, north side has one Decorated style window and lean-to vestry with cusped lancets and pointed doorway. North side of nave has two 2-light Decorated style windows as to south. Coped verges to roof, cross finials. Interior: Late C19 carved screen and double doors between porch in tower and nave; nave side has fine floral carving and traceried panels in tympanum of C14 cyma and hollow-chamfered arch with attached shafts. Former roof line visible on wall at west end of nave. Nave has 5-bay C19 roof with tie beam and cusped collar on foliated corbels. C19 cyma and hollow-chamfered chancel arch with fine Arts and Crafts wooden chancel screen in Perpendicular style, with fan coving. Three-bay chancel roof with arch-braced collar trusses on foliated corbels, C19 pointed doorway to vestry and pointed archway to organ chamber. Pulpit and font of 1877, C19 pews, brass communion rail, carved wooden reredos in same style as screen. C17 copper plaque on south wall of chancel to Elener(sic) Seaman died 1633, marble tablet on north side to Anne Fisher died 1783, classical marble to Temple family of Bishopstrow House (q.v.), 1840. Classical marbles in porch to Frances Elderton died 1829 and Benjamin Everett died 1816, Gothic marble and stone tablet to Griffith family, 1839 etc. East window stained glass by Hughes, 1879, north east window by Kempe, 1892 and some good unsigned glass in nave to Temple family, c.1875. Hanoverian Royal Arms in nave. Church rebuilt in 1757 and prior to chancel restoration of 1840 east end was apsidal, possibly Saxon. (N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England, Wiltshire, 1975).

Listing NGR: ST8951143764