Church Of St Margaret

Church of St Margaret

An Anglican parish church with possible Saxon origins, substantially developed from the early to late 12th century, with a chancel rebuilt in 1460-70. The building underwent some rebuilding in 1830 and underwent main restoration in 1889 by S. Gambier-Parry.

The chancel is built of limestone rubble, retaining some early render particularly on the north side, with dressed stone quoins and plinth. The nave, north aisle and vestry are constructed of coursed squared and dressed limestone. The porch and tower are also of coursed squared and dressed limestone, except at the tower base where large blocks of dressed limestone are used. The tower is topped with stone slate roofing.

The church comprises a nave, north aisle with a vestry at right angles, chancel and west tower. The narrow walls of the nave suggest possible Saxon origins. The nave's south wall features a flat-chamfered plinth and a single buttress, with a 14th-century two-light window with hood to the left of the central porch, a Perpendicular two-light window with rectangular casement-moulded surround to the right, and 20th-century double doors within a four-centred arched casement-moulded surround with large triangular stops within the porch. The chancel's south wall contains two two-light Perpendicular windows with rectangular surrounds and a three-light four-centred arched east window with stepped mouldings to the mullions. A single two-light Perpendicular north window with rectangular surround and cinquefoil-headed lights is also present. The north aisle, extensively restored in the 19th century, features a Perpendicular east window with hollow-chamfered mullions and simple tracery, plus two 19th-century two-light stone-mullioned windows to the north wall and a single similar window to the north-facing gable of the vestry, matching a late 16th to early 17th-century window at the west gable end.

The three-stage tower comprises lower stages from the 12th century with 15th-century diagonal buttresses. A stone drain projects from the north at the first-floor level of the priest's chamber. Three single-light windows with flat-chamfered surrounds occupy the ground floor, one cut into a single stone slab set within a flat-chamfered surround. The stage above contains similar two-light windows, some with narrow pointed-headed lights, and the belfry stage has two stone-mullioned windows in addition. Flat-chamfered strings separate the stages. The south porch, rebuilt in 1962, has side buttresses and a double-chamfered horse-shoe shaped entrance. A stone scratch sundial appears on the porch gable with an engaged ball finial above. Stone bench seats and a 19th-century roof are within the porch. All roofs are ridged with stepped coping and roll-cross saddles, some with upright cross finials. Remains of a medieval cross finial survive on the vestry.

The church interior is plastered and contains a three-bay late 12th-century nave arcade with cylindrical piers, carved capitals and round arches with two chamfered orders and hoodmoulds. The capital of the east pier is mutilated, possibly to accommodate a later parclose screen (now removed) to a north chantry chapel. A narrow round-headed tower arch, restored in 1830, has the upper part of a flat-chamfered window formerly opening into a priest's chamber above. The Perpendicular four-centred chancel arch has moulded capitals, one of which is mutilated. Late 18th to early 19th-century wagon roofs cover the nave and chancel. The floor comprises parquet and red tile, with some encaustic tiling in the chancel. A 19th-century cinquefoil-headed piscina with credence shelf occupies the south wall of the chancel. The font dates from the early 11th century and comprises a plain cylindrical bowl with a band around the top and a hollow moulding around the base. The church contains 19th-century pews, a 19th-century wooden pulpit with blind tracery, a 19th-century wrought iron communion rail, and a Carolean communion rail with baluster legs.

Monuments include a 11th-century stone coffin lid with a raised cross, removed from the north aisle, and one 17th-century and two 18th-century monuments set vertically within the lower chamber of the tower. Another early coffin lid is set within the outer wall of the spiral stairs rising from the tower base. The north wall of the north aisle contains a late 18th to early 19th-century marble monument to members of the Bell family and an oval marble monument to Ralph Oliffe, died 1762. The chancel holds a monument to the Reverend John Bythesea, former rector, died 1845; a monument to the Reverend Thomas Price, former rector, died 1860, both by Lewis of Cheltenham; and a monument to William Huntington, former rector, died 1757, with broken pediment supported on pilasters.

The church retains fragments of 15th-century stained glass in the south chancel windows, including fragments from a crucifix window and depicting St Catherine's wheel, the Virgin, and the arms of some weavers. Early fragments appear in the north aisle east window. The north wall contains 19th-century stained glass. A north-west window by Kempe dates from 1890, and a north chancel window by Hall dates from 1906.

The advowson belonged to the Weavers' Guild in Cirencester during the period of the chancel and chancel arch rebuilding, circa 1460-70.