Parish Church of St Margaret

Details

TL 66 NE CHIPPENHAM HIGH STREET (north-east)

6/79 Parish Church of St Margaret 19.8.59

GV I

Parish church. Chancel and part of south-east nave wall C12. North-west aisle, and Lady Chapel with altar recess and original fresco C13. Nave arcades C13. The C15 fabric dates from a fire in 1447. Prior Robert Botyll, a Knight's Hospitaller, whose armorial shield was depicted on the fresco of St Michael in the Lady Chapel, was perhaps the benefactor. The aisles were rebuilt and refenestrated, the clerestory, roofs, and tower are C15. Door and doorway to north-west aisle, and resited outer arch to porch C14. South-east aisle door and doorway and belfry door C15. Chancel arch rebuilt in 1885, architect Finch Noyes; church restored in 1893, architect W J Tapper. The frescoes were uncovered in 1894. The Tharp memorial chapel, late C19 is an extension to north-east of south-east aisle. Vestry to north-west also C19. Recently the St Christoper fresco has been restored and others white-washed. Flint and pebble rubble, plastered with Barnack limestone and clunch dressings; leaded gable roofs with parapets. Tower of three stages with embattled parapet and moulded plinth, door with two-centred arch and spandrels in flat arch, two cinquefoil niches above. Belfry windows of two lights with quatrefoil. Three clerestory windows of two, cinquefoil lights with a quartrefoil. South-east aisle has four windows with three cinquefoil lights with trefoils in spandrels of flat arches. C19 chapel door. Gabled porch with two-centred arch and large carved heads at imposts. South-west door C15. North-east chancel wall has original shafted quoins with moulded base, and jambs of C12 windows. Blocked C12 window and large round-arched window C12 in north-west wall. Interior. Nave arcades of seven bays with close set two-centred arches of two chamfered orders. North-west arcade has plain capitals with alternate octagonal and round piers; one octagonal pier in south-east arcade, the remaining quatrefoiled in plan with defaced capitals. (Some piers with painted design and graffiti). Nave roof of eight bays, queen posts with architraves C15. Lady Chapel in north-west aisle used by the Knight's Hospitallers is divided from aisle by C13 demi arch. The altar recess with two-centred arch and original fresco is shaped for statue of virgin. Three bay C15 roof painted with quatrefoils, suns, stars, and other ornaments. North-west aisle has remarkable C15 painting of St Christoper recently restored. The C15 roof of seven bays with moulded cross-beams is similar to south-east aisle of ten bays. Parclose screen and chancel screen C15. Chancel roof boarded in C19 may be earlier. Piscena with cinquefoiled head and foiled drain. Tower arch C15 with nave moulding. C15 poppy head pews complete, pulpit restored with C15 carvings. Modern font. Memorials include guilded marble monument to Sir Thomas Revitt with his two wives and four daughters dated 1583 in chancel. In north-west aisle wooden painted wall monument with woman in white and no inscription possibly late C17. Marble lozenges C18 to Tookie family. Two freestone slabs to John Percivall 1669, and Samuel Barker, vicar 1707. One indented slab to William Percivall Gent 1671. Memorial glass in Tharp chapel by G. Elliot, London. Memorial stained glass by Victor Milner to Rt. Hon. Sir Thomas Erskine May, 1895. The modern chapel screen dated 1943 is a memorial to John D. A. Tharp.

Keyser C.E. C.A.S. Volvi (1891), p.321 Cole MSS. (visit of 1745), C.R.O. Pevsner. Buildings in England, p.321 Barker R W. History of Chippenham, 1897, p.7-16 Tharp Mem. Chapel Pamp. 1948 Collection.

Listing NGR: TL6635169804

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

49004

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Tharp Memorial Chapel Church of St Margaret Chippenham Pamphlet, (1948)
Barber, RW, History of Chippenham, (1897), 7-16
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Cambridgeshire, (1970), 321
Proceedings of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society in Proceedings of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society, Vol. 6, (1891), 321

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