St. Mary & St. Nicholas, Wilton
This has got to be one of the most stunning church buildings in this country. It also looks completely out of place! This Italianate building was created at the instigation of the dowager Countess of Pembroke and her son, Sidney Herbert. It cost £20,000 which was a huge sum in 1845. It is very well signposted by ‘brown signs’. It is open each day and they treat visitors seriously here and consider it a vital part of the church’s ministry.
Inside, I found a selection of laminated guides in various languages, some post cards for sale, a good guide book and a simple but effective leaflet which guides visitors around the church ‘with guiding words from Book of Common Prayer’. A lot of thought has gone into this.
There are some books for children.
There are some good things here for visitors. A switch by the door (clearly labelled) enables the visitor to light up the altar. The Lectionary Bible readings for the day had been printed out and were displayed in a folder in the middle of the aisle. A thoughtful thing to do.There is a votive stand to light candles and a place to leave prayer requests. Some folders from NADFAS detail the many things to be seen here and are worth spending time with. There is also a peace candle left alight – our world certainly needs that, and another for Church Unity, another thing needed. To remind visitors that this is not just a historic building there as a display of church events and another detailing a child they sponsor in Haiti.
All in all a very unusual and wonderful church which I rate as very good for this study.
St. John the Baptist, Bishopstone
I was on my way to this church when I got distracted by Fifield Bavant. This is another notable church – there are many fine ones in Wiltshire. Again, this is in ‘1000 Best Churches’. There are a succession of lovely churches along the Ebble valley. Outside, I found a sign with details of the Church wardens. I also met a lady walking some dogs who spoke with great pride of her church. It is obviously much loved (as many rural churches are). It is open and the doors were open to welcome people. There is a guide leaflet, which has been very well produced and funded by ‘The Friends of Bishopstone Church.’ This is an excellent leaflet which gives a ground plan of the church and points out the main items of interest, of which there are many here. Only 4 visitors had signed the book for July (I visited on the 17th).
Quite a lot of effort has gone into making this a ‘user friendly’ church for visitors. A prayer request board (well used) is available and some prayer ideas along with an open bible. The WW1 memorial has a folder giving details of the casualties – always a sobering read as you can easily imagine the impact on a small community like this. There is some stunning details inside St. John’s. The pulpit in particular is interesting and there is some good carving. Outside, there is a strange ‘mini cloister’ which no one seems to know what it was used for.
This is a church well worth a look at. A good day out could be had by exploring the various churches along this valley. I will leave you with some pictures.
Carving on the pulpit
‘Mini Cloister’
St. Martin’s, Fifield Bavant
St. Martin’s is a wonderful, tiny church. I hadn’t planned on visiting it but having ridden by it, I just had to stop and take a look. I’m glad I did. I have seen photos of this church but hadn’t realised I was going to pass it. It is open each day and is approached through a farm-yard (you can park there). It has a wooden sign post from the road but otherwise nothing else. It is the smallest church in Wiltshire and is regularly used. Inside (it is never locked), I found some postcards for sale and some free prayer booklets, cards and book marks which were good. 5 visitors in the book for July (I visited on the 17th). There is also a small display on some the archaeological finds found here. And a bit of interpretation as to what is what. I read that the hamlet has only 2 houses, 10 cottages and a population of only 19! There are more seats in this church than population. The only suggestion I would make is that it would be good to have some way of leaving prayer requests here eg. a book or a prayer board.
St. Martin’s would make a great Small Pilgrim Place. The church website is at http://www.chalkevalley.org.uk/fifield-bavant/ and this gives very clear visitor information.
St. John the Baptist, Tisbury
A wonderful church which features in ‘1000 Best Churches’ and quite rightly so. It is in a wonderful position beside the River Nadder. It is open each day and well worth seeing. There is a guide book and some ‘bats’ to carry around to help visitors understand the wonderful things to see here. Also some books and prayer cards for sale and some free Bible notes.
The church children have some of their work displayed and an area to use. It is notable how shiny everything is here. This is a church which is well used and well loved. The visitors book showed some 46 entries this year so far but there must be many more.I found a good folder about the World War 1 and 2 casualties from the town, including one woman. The visitor gets a real sense of how church buildings are altered over time here. The chancel has some glass doors and has become in effect a separate worship area.A lovely church well worth a visit.
St. Peter’s, Shaftesbury
St. Peter’s sits in the middle of this small town, which was busy at the time of my visit. The church is open each day and there is a sign outside to say so. Inside, there was a steward around who told me that they didn’t get many visitors. There was a guide booklet and a local guide to the attractions of the area. A children’s area was laid out with some work displayed. This gives a good impression of a church which values children and is not just a heritage building. There is also a good display on the story of St. Aldhelm.
Prayer boards featured ‘thanksgiving prayers’ as well as ‘prayer requests’ – these were both well used. There is also a votive stand.
There is a chapel for prayer in the crypt, which is a wonderful space.
There is a website on http://stmin.org.uk/about/st-peters-shaftesbury/ and this proudly says that the church welcomes visitors during the week. All in all, St. Peter’s is a lovely, cared for church with a good welcome for visitors.
St. Mary the Virgin, Bruton
Bruton is a small town with a large and lovely church. It is open each day. The website, http://www.stmarysbruton.org/, states; ‘The church is available for private prayer every day of the year ..’ Inside, I found a very good leaflet entitled, ‘A Practical and Devotional Guide’. This explains the symbolism of the church building and what is inside it. There was also some prayer ideas and a sand tray to put votive candles in. There are guide books and post cards for sale, a CD by the choir and some knitted teddies. 9 people had filled in the visitors book in the last 2 weeks. I noticed some biographies of World War 1 casualties. These are being added to as their particular anniversary comes around. A very good idea which helps to bring home the sacrifice of these men. There is information on the bright kneelers here too – these are very popular and obviously produced with pride and love. The sacrament is reserved here. A lovely church to visit and I rate it as very good for this study.
Blessed Virgin Mary, St. John the Baptist and All Saints, Witham Friary
A small church with a very long dedication! This is a most unusual church. It looks French and this is because it is all that remains of a Carthusian house here founded by St. Hugh.
It is normally locked but the notice board does give key holder details. As I was looking at this a man drove past, stopped and offered to get the key for me. It turns out that he was the churchwarden and was both helpful and knowledgeable. The church has some large buttresses on the outside. Inside, it is like walking into a monastery chapel, but that is what it is. It was the lay brothers chapel and was saved at the Dissolution as it became the parish church. It is breathtaking. There is a good guide at only £2 – a real bargain as it is a very good read, some other guides and a life of St. Hugh. Also some postcards, church mugs and home made chutneys. The visitors book showed 25 entries for this year so far. There were refreshments for visitors and some John’s gospels to take.
The windows on the south side of the church tells the story of St. Hugh. This is a well cared for church which is very much out of the ordinary and well worth taking the trouble to visit.
St. Laurence, Bradford on Avon
St. Laurence’ is also known as ‘The Saxon Church’. It has a fascinating history which is explained in a well produced leaflet which is for sale inside at the modest cost of 50p.
This is a remarkable place and a definite ‘must see’ for any church enthusiast. It has also recently become a ‘Small Pilgrim Place’ (see http://smallpilgrimplaces.org/). It is ancient and mysterious with a stark simplicity. There is not much inside but that is part of it’s charm. There is a small history display some postcards, a note about Small Pilgrim Places and the guide. This is a place to sit quietly and reflect on the ancient roots of the Christian faith. The display above the altar is a ring of Doulting stone by John Maine RA which was carved in 2012. Below it is a piece of fossil tree and fragment of a Saxon cross. It provides a good focus.
There are two websites for information – http://www.saxon-church.org.uk and http://www.brad-avon.ht.org.uk
Over the road is Holy Trinity church, and this is opn from April to September from 2.30pm – 4.30pm. I missed this.
All Saints, Great Chalfield
A delightful, small church next to the National Trust property, as a consequence it is very easy to find as you just follow the brown tourist signs. You visit the church by going through the gateway to Great Chalfield Manor. There is a welcome notice by the church door.
The door itself is opened by pulling a shoe lace! Inside, I found a very atmospheric church. It is easy to overdo the word ‘atmospheric’ but it is truly justified here. It is a simply wonderful place that I recommend a visit to. There is a guide book at only 50p and some post cards. Also a ‘walk around’ guide sheet. Despite the church’s small size there is a chapel set aside for prayer with a votive stand in it to use. The church is beautifully kept and is obviously cherished by those who care for it. There are some colourful kneelers and a modern window on the ‘Parable of the Sower’ which was installed in 1999. This is no museum piece, as some churches attached to NT properties are, but a real living place of worship. Well worth a visit and I rate it as good for this study.
‘Chalfield Candle Poem’
St. Cyriac, Lacock
Lacock was busy today, even just after 10am. St. Cyriac’s must be one of the most visited churches outside London. Several people came in whilst I was there. A sign outside proclaimed to all that passed by that the church was open. It is well worth going in. There is a small bookstall and a range of Tim Tiley cards and booklets as well as church postcards for sale. There were 142 entries in the visitors book over the last 14 days. There is a nice ‘space’ picture from the Hubble Telescope with a link to Psalm 8 underneath it. A votive stand and prayer tree were there as well as a chapel set aside for prayer – this is what churches are for after all! This chapel has some good resources such as prayer ideas and a bible open as well as prayer books to use. There are quite a selection of the excellent LifeWords leaflets around as well.
The church website is at corshamandlacockchurches.org.uk and this has clear visitor information on it as well as plenty of other things – a good site.
All in all, a lot of thought has gone into ministering into St. Cyriac’s many visitors and I rate this as very good. It is also a church with a real prayerful atmosphere – this is often squeezed out in well visited churches. Well worth a look as the village of Lacock is as well.
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