Details
WYLYE CHURCH STREET
SU 03 NW
(north side)
2/108 Church of St. Mary
23.3.60.
GV II*
Anglican parish church. C13, C15, 1846 rebuilding by T.H. Wyatt.
Dressed limestone, flint, tiled roof. Plan: west tower, nave with
north aisle, chancel with north vestry, south porch. Gabled south
porch with Tudor-arched doorway with blocked reset C14 niche over,
diagonal buttresses, cusped lancet to west side. Nave has 3-light
C19 Perpendicular-style window either side of porch, cusped C19
lancet to left; all with scrolled hoodmoulds. Chancel has pair of
C13 lancets with C19 quatrefoil over, so forming plate tracery
window, C19 lancet to right, east end has diagonal buttresses,
chequered flint and stone wall, three C13 stepped lancets with
attached billet-moulded shafts with stiff leaf capitals and
dogtooth ornament to arches, hoodmould over and C19 quatrefoil
above, coped verge on Medieval carved head corbels, north side has
C19 two-light plate tracery window. Gabled vestry with 2-light
plate tracery window and chamfered Tudor-arched doorway. North
aisle has pitched roof, rebuilt C19 with 2 cusped lancets and two
2-light Perpendicular windows, buttresses with offsets, east window
is C19 two-light Perpendicular. Stair turret against north side of
tower has two arrow loops and stone pitched roof. Three-stage
tower has cyma-moulded plinth, diagonal buttresses, moulded Tudor-
arched west doorway, 3-light pointed Perpendicular window and
octagonal clock face over, south side has 2-light C16-style window
to second stage, moulded string course to bellstage; 2-light
pointed Perpendicular window with decorative pierced louvres to
south and west sides, single light to north and square-headed 2-
light Perpendicular window to east, moulded string course with
gargoyles to battlemented parapet with corner pinnacles.
Interior: Porch has arch-braced collar-rafter roof, C19 half-
glazed inner doors with pointed arch. Nave with C19 three and
half-bay arch-braced collar truss roof on stone corbels, stone
floor. Perpendicular tower arch, partly filled with C19 wooden
screen and door, cyma-moulded Tudor-arched doorway to tower stairs.
North aisle has 3-bay arcade with plain chamfered arches on C14-
style octagonal piers, arch-braced collar truss roof. C19 chancel
arch; C19 three-bay chancel roof, good Minton tiled floor of 1871,
fine east windows with C13 billet-moulded rere-arches on shafts
with stiff-leaf capitals, five stone tablets set in walls; all
with heraldic shields and illegible except for one to Mary Stevens
died 1685. Fittings: very finely carved Jacobean pulpit with
octagonal tester dated 1628, barleysugar balusters to stairs late
C17, from Wilton St. Mary; matching reading desk; C19 octagonal
stone font, C18 vase font retained at west end of north aisle, with
sundial set on top; three brass candelabra in nave, one dated
1814, from Wilton St. Mary; commandment and prayer boards in north
aisle. Some good late C19 and early C20 stained glass including
two windows by Kempe in north aisle, 1840's glass in chancel.
George III Royal Arms in north aisle. North aisle has painted
tryptych behind altar of 1891. Medieval carving on north wall of
the Crucifixion, said to be originally over porch door. Classical
marble wall tablets include mid C19 tablet to Perrior family, in
south side of nave, marble tablets in chancel include one to
Frances Baker died 1840. Six bells include bells of 1587 and 1697.
(N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England, Wiltshire, 1975).
Listing NGR: SU0080737732
