Details
TISBURY CHURCH STREET
ST 92 NW (south side)
4/205 Church of St. John the Baptist
6.1.66
GV I
Anglican parish church. Late C12, C13, C14, C15, C16, tower
rebuilt 1762, mid C19 restoration. Dressed limestone, tiled roofs.
Cruciform plan with aisles, south vestry, north and west porches.
Two-storey C13 north porch with double chamfered archway on pair of
attached shafts, one with multi-scalloped capitals, C19 wrought-
iron double gates, first floor has single lancet, quatrefoil to
west, leaded light to east and blocking course to gabled roof,
brick stack. North aisle has two late C14 two-light square-headed
windows to right of porch and one to left. North transept with
reticulated tracery 3-light north window, to east 3-light geometric
traceried window, corbel table to eaves on east side. Chancel has
three large 4-light windows with geometric tracery and buttresses
between to north, small roll-moulded pointed doorway to centre,
blocking course with pitched coping to roof, east end has angle
buttresses and large 5-light geometric window with cusped lancet
over, south side has two 4-light windows as north. C19 vestry to
left has C14-style window and blocking course, extended to left
with C14-style windows and pointed doorway, flat roof. South
transept with 3-light geometric traceried window, square stone
sundial over. South aisle has three 2-light square-headed C14
windows and one small above double-chamfered pointed door,
buttresses and C19 stack to right for vestry, octagonal stair
turret to left. North and south clerestories have four 2-light C15
square-headed windows. West end has lancet to south aisle. Late
Medieval porch with stone slate roof and stone benches within,
scissor-rafter roof, 5-light geometric window over, buttress with
offsets to right. C13 lower stage of crossing tower has attached
angle shafts and Y-tracery louvred windows with hoodmoulds, upper
stage of 1762 replaces spire; circular clock faces on all sides but
south with louvred oculus, cornice to battlemented parapet with
obelisk pinnacles.
Interior: North porch has pointed barrel-vaulted roof, inner
doorway with attached shafts and scalloped capitals. C15 wagon
roof to nave has three hammer beam trusses with angels. Four-bay
aisle arcades, late C14 with attached shafts and hollow moulded
piers to moulded pointed arches, north aisle ceiling with
inscription dated 1535, south aisle dated 1616, both with names of
donors and church wardens, moulded beams and bosses. Shouldered
doorway to upper room of porch to left of north door, Royal Arms of
George III over. Late C12 crossing with roll-moulded and chamfered
arches on attached shaft responds with plain trumpet-scallop
capitals, quadripartite rib-vault. North transept became the Lady
Chapel in 1299, remodelled C14 with image niche in centre of east
window flanked by tall niches with crockets and ogee arches,
piscina in right one, hollow-chamfered niche in north wall, wagon
roof with three cambered tie-beams. South transept, now organ
chamber with wagon roof and chamfered pointed doorway to tower.
West wall of crossing has blocked round-arched window with inserted
cusped lancet. C19-restored chancel, now Chapel of St Andrew, with
3-bay boarded roof and polychrome tiled floor, 4-light geometric
window now in wall between chancel and vestry, separate triple-
chamfered chancel arch to east of crossing, now filled with 1970s
glazed doors and screen. C14 ogee piscina on south wall.
Fittings: Some linenfold panelling on chancel walls, communion
rail with open tracery from Perpendicular screen, cavetto-moulded
stone mensa reset on C20 supports. Reredos of 1884 by E. Christian
with terracotta relief by G. Tinworth, reset in north transept
niche, 1970s. Good C17 pews and choir stalls throughout church
with shell-lunettes to bench-ends. C17 hexagonal pulpit with
arabesque carving. Square stone font on five shafts, possibly C13
and restored, with C17 font cover - at west end. Early C20 stained
glass in south aisle, later C20 glass in east window. Monuments:
Good collection of marble floor tablets in chancel to Arundells of
Wardour with relief carved arms, including Ann Arundell died 1649,
wife of Cecil Calvert the builder of Hook Manor (q.v. Semley),
brass on floor to Lawrance Hyde of West Hatch died 1590. Funerary
helm to 1st Baron of Wardour, died 1639. South aisle wall tablets
include classical stone tablet with fluted pilasters and arched
panels to Bridget Jay died 1727, stone and marble tablet to Anthony
Combes died 1644, signed tablet by Mitcherd of Sarum to Harriet
Jukes died 1846.
(N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England, Wiltshire, 1975; R.H.
Jackson, A History of the Parish Church of Tisbury, 1979)
Listing NGR: ST9440529122
