Church of St Martin

Details

BREMHILL BREMHILL VILLAGE
ST 97 SE
(south side)
8/15 Church of St Martin
20.12.60
GV I
Anglican parish church, Anglo-Saxon origins, c1200, C13, C15,
restored 1850. Ashlar and ironstone rubble with stone slate
roofs. West tower, nave and aisles and chancel. Tower probably
originally C13, in rubble stone, was buttressed, refronted and
raised in ashlar in C15. C15 work includes very large west angle
buttresses, pointed west door with hood, 4-light west window,
altered 1864 by W. Butterfield, string course and bell-stage with
two Perpendicular style 2-light bell-openings each side, coved
cornice with gargoyles, embattled parapet and angle pinnacles.
Also C15 ashlar south side square stair tower with lean-to top
against bell-stage, which has only a single light this side.
Earlier rubble stone visible to north, south and east with
dripcourse at mid height. North side has lancet to lower stage and
blank 2-light Perpendicular style flat-headed window to next
stage. Nave has Anglo-Saxon long-and-short work at north west
angle, coped east gable, small Sanctus bellcote and C15 lean-to
ashlar embattled 3-window aisles. Aisles have 3-light 4-centred
end windows, angle buttresses, side buttresses, coved cornice with
gargoyles and flat-headed large 3-light side windows with labels
dependent from cornice. South aisle has large 2-storey porch to
left and two windows, north aisle has window each side of off-
centre pointed door with hoodmould. South porch has stepped
embattled parapet, first floor cusped 2-light flat-headed window
with hood and moulded pointed doorway below with hood. Ground
floor single light to west and 2-light to east. Within porch is
fine tierceron star stone vault with carved bosses and moulded 4-
centred inner door with hood. Chancel is of rubble stone with
detail mostly renewed in C19. One south lancet over blocked low-
side shouldered window and one 3-light Y-traceried window. At
south east corner 1822 wall plaque with poem by W.L. Bowles. East
end C19 stepped lancets. North side has two lancets, one blocked.
Interior: C19 nave and aisle roofs, nave roof of arch-braced
collar trusses on stone corbels. Heavily renewed 4-bay arcades of
c1200, pointed arches with chamfer, roll-moulding and hoodmould.
Circular piers with trumpet-scallop, plain moulded or stiff-leaf
caps, all heavily restored. Moulded tower arch with C19 timber
screen. Heavily restored chancel arch with massive round piers,
leaf caps and moulded pointed arch, C13 in style. South aisle has
east end vestry screened by C19 timber screen incorporating C15
carved work and with C19 shouldered stone door from nave. To left
of south door is small door to stone winding stair to upper room of
porch which has plain Tudor-arched doorway and cambered roof.
Chancel has plastered curved 3-bay roof, elaborately shafted C19
east window, mosaic sanctuary floor of 1907, south side cusped
piscina and squint through to north aisle. Fittings: c1200
circular font with bands of semi-circular scales and rope-moulded
bands above and below. Stone Perpendicular style pulpit with
canted front, said to be C15, heavily restored or copied in C19,
pews incorporating panels of C15 carved work, C19 carved wood
lectern in nave. Under tower, tiled floor, and carved inscription
by Butterfield commemorating window restoration 1864. Faded glass
by Hardman (Pevsner). South aisle stained glass to Eddrup family,
west window 1903, south windows c1887 and 1879. North aisle west
fine armorial glass of c1900, by Kempe, and one north window of
1897 possibly also by Kempe. Painted arms of William IV on north
wall. Chancel has east window glass of c1907 by Tower and two
small lancets of c1860. Monuments: in chancel exceptional Baroque
marble monument with bust, putti, twisted columns and emblems of
peace and war to G. Hungerford, died 1697, wall plaques to Rev J.
Wilson died 1724 and to Rev N. Hume died 1804 (by King). Fine
armorial floor slabs to W. Hungerford and Rev J. Tounson, died
1697. The poet W.L. Bowles was vicar of Bremhill 1804-45.
(N. Pevsner, Wiltshire, 1975, 140-1; W.L. Bowles, A parochial
history of the parish of Bremhill, 1828)


Listing NGR: ST9796973009

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

316139

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Bowles, Reverend W L, A Parochial History of the Parish of Bremhill, (1828)
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Wiltshire, (1975), 140-1

End of official list entry

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