Church Of St Vigor

The Church of St. Vigor is an Anglican parish church, likely originating in the 12th century, with smaller additions from the 14th century. It underwent significant rebuilding in the 15th and 16th centuries, followed by further rebuilding in the late 18th century and restoration in the 19th century. The church is constructed of random and coursed rubble with freestone dressings, and has slate roofs with coped verges and a cruciform finial. It is cruciform in layout, comprising a nave with a north aisle and a south porch, a chancel, and a west tower, all in the Perpendicular style.

The three-stage west tower has a plain parapet and pinnacles, featuring 2-light bell-chamber windows with semi-circular heads and quatrefoil interlace. The west window is of a similar style. The nave has three bays; the south-west corner features carved heads from a former Norman corbel table, and the south side has 3-light square-headed windows with labels. An elaborate gabled porch has a two-stage corner buttresses, gargoyles, a moulded outer door opening, and label stops carved as angels. Inside the porch, a benched floor is laid with flagstones and a stoup is located along with a plain semi-circular head Norman inner doorway and a traceried Perpendicular door.

The chancel is believed to have been rebuilt in 1765, though the 2-light east window incorporating reticulated tracery was reused. The North aisle, known as the Knatchbull Chapel, was rebuilt in 1782 on medieval foundations and has 3-light windows with intersecting tracery. The interior is plastered, with tile and flagstone floors. The nave has a 18th century plastered ceiling with a cornice, while the Knatchbull Chapel has a more elaborate plastered ceiling. The chancel features a 19th century wagon roof. A Perpendicular chancel arch and a two-bay arcade lead into the Knatchbull Chapel, and a squat tower arch, possibly Norman but heavily rebuilt, exists.

Notable fixtures include a Norman tub font, a Perpendicular stone pulpit, and a 16th century chest. The remaining fittings are largely from the 19th century and include pews, choir stalls, altar rails, and decalogue plaques. The church is adorned with numerous monuments, primarily located in the Knatchbull Chapel, including six slabs, one of which is to William Long from 1658, featuring fine lettering though its brass is now missing. Seventeen principal wall monuments commemorate members of the Knatchbull and Long families, some of high quality with figures in relief sculpted by T. King of Bath. Royal Arms dating to 1805 are also present. A 15th century piscina is also in the church, along with a significant quantity of medieval stained glass re-set in the windows of the Knatchbull Chapel.