Details
CHRISTIAN MALFORD CHURCH ROAD
ST 97 NE
5/124 Church of All Saints
20.12.60
GV I
Anglican parish church, C12 origins, c1300, C15 with C18 west
tower. Restored 1881. Rubble stone and ashlar with stone slate
roofs and coped gables. Nave, north porch, chancel, south aisle,
south porch and south west tower. Nave is rubble stone with
Perpendicular 3-light 4-centred west window and north side plain
C13 lancet, deep set C15 flat-headed 2-light, north porch, two
Perpendicular 3-light 4-centred arched windows and large stepped
north-east buttress. Porch has ashlar front with front buttresses
each side, moulded pointed entry and reset small traceried pierced
stone in apex. East side has stone pierced with two tiny cusped
lancets. Chancel is heavily restored with chamfered eaves cornice
and sill course. North side has C16 or C17 two-light with Tudor-
arched heads and 3-light 4-centred arched Perpendicular window.
East end angle buttresses and large 3-light plate traceried window,
apparently entirely C19 with sexfoil and quatrefoils in head.
South side has 2-light breaking eaves under coped gable, plate
traceried with quatrefoil head, apparently C19 but a restoration of
c1300 original, and low door in angle to south aisle. South aisle
has fine C14 three-light east window with ogee traceried lights
with sharp trefoil heads to outer lights and quatrefoil over
centre. Diagonal angle buttresses, moulded sill course and
moulded eaves course. Drainpipes dated 1881. From east, two
Perpendicular 3-light 4-centred arched windows with buttress
between, buttress with scratch dial and two carved rosettes, then
c1300 two-light with ogee trefoil head, porch and 3-light 4-centred
Perpendicular window. Large ashlar C15 porch has diagonal
buttresses, moulded plinth and coved eaves. Front 4-centred arch
and hood. Small ogee-headed niche over and sundial above. Small
2-light each side. Stone seats and arch-braced rafter roof,
formerly plastered. Fine inner doorway, ogee-headed cinquefoil
cusped with one order of shafts, hoodmould and head stops, probably
C14. Studded plank door. Ashlar west tower of three stages with
plinth, dripcourses, coved cornice battlements and angle pinnacles.
Diagonal buttresses to lower stage angles and raised angle piers
above. Round arched Y-tracery 2-light bell-openings, clock on
east face. South side has similar 2-light to second stage and
large 3-light below over reused moulded pointed C14 doorway.
Graffito date of 1721 on buttress. Tower has similarities to
Kington St Michael tower of 1725.
Interior: south aisle has braced-collar-rafter roof and three
cambered tie-beams with crown posts, one a C19 copy. East end has
cradle roof with Cl9 moulded longitudinal timbers. Round-arched
C18 entry to tower but C14 doorway high up. Windows have sill-
course stepped over finely moulded segmental-pointed doorway. The
2-light window has fine shafting. At east end, chapel screened by
exceptional C15 timber screen with traceried heads to single light
divisions, deep cove and richly carved leaf friezes. East window
is shafted with mutilated niche each side and squint to left.
Crocketed ogee-headed piscina with side pinnacles. Moulded arch
to north side. Nave has four bay arcade with pointed 2-chamfer
arches, hoodmoulds and head stops, octagonal piers and moulded caps
and bases, possibly C14. Broad C19 cradle roof, originally
ceiled, with moulded longitudinal members. North door has exposed
a plain C12 round arch later infilled for Tudor-arched doorway.
Chancel arch matches arcade, but looks C19. A less elaborate
timber screen, early C15 has pointed cusped centre arch and two 4-
light sections each side with traceried heads. Chancel has C19
cradle roof, shafted east window with nailhead ornament, apparently
C19, but possibly a copy, fine south side paired cusped sedilia and
original shafting and dog-tooth ornament to south side 2-light
window. Two small carved heads re-set each side of communion
rail. Fittings: chancel east window of 1893, some C15 fragments
in one north window, the other with poor glass of c1885 by A.
Savell. Nave has C19 pulpit, one window with glass of c1912 by
A.L. Moore & Son, one with some C15 fragments, and large south side
monument to Rev Willes died 1815 by T. King with female mourner and
urn in Gothic frame above. South aisle has some small C15
fragments of glass and circular c1200 font with scalloped base
moulding, arcading with pellets and zig-zag top moulding.
(N. Pevsner Wiltshire 1975)
Listing NGR: ST9576179122
