Details
SEEND CHURCH LANE
ST 9460
13/264 Church of the Holy Cross
19.3.62
GV I
Anglican parish church, mostly c1450 with C14 west tower and 1876
chancel, by A.J. Style. Ashlar with rubble stone to tower. Low-
pitched lead roofs behind battlements. Tower, nave and aisles,
north porch and chancel. Low 3-stage tower has C15 ashlar bell-
stage with plain 2-light bell-openings, embattled parapet and
corner pinnacles. Rubble stone earlier tower has 2-light former
bell-openings, angle buttresses, small 2-light west window and
chamfered pointed west door with flat hoodmould. Each side of
window are a row of C18 arch-headed plaques under cornice, to Crook
and Wyatt families, earliest date 1771. Nave has high clerestory
with 4 large Perpendicular pointed windows each side, cornice with
grotesque carved heads under pinnacles of embattled parapet.
North aisle, rebuilt by John Stokys (d.1498) has large 3-light
pointed Perpendicular windows, stepped buttresses carrying
pinnacles and embattled parapet with grotesque carved bosses.
Three-light east window and 4-light west window, the latter with
carved clothiers shears in moulding inside and out, and apex
crucifix, a rare survival. Large projecting 2-storey north porch,
the upper part C18 with 3-light upper window, arched-headed beaded
leaded lights and east side outside stairs to fielded panelled
door. Moulded C15 doorway, Tudor-arched with hoodmould, and
narrower moulded doorway inserted. Stone seats and C15 moulded
inner doorway. Plainer south aisle, ashlar, embattled, with
Perpendicular style west window of 1889 and flat-headed south
windows, 3-light, probably of 1889, to left, then projection with
door and 3-light over, probably altered 1889, then rubble stone
walling with two C15 three-lights and moulded cornice. Three-
light C15 pointed east window. Chancel has similar battlements
and pinnacles, 2 south windows and 5-light Perpendicular style east
window, all of 1876.
Interior: north aisle has C15 five-bay timber roof with cambered
tie-beams. Nave has 4-bay timber roof with moulded cambered tie-
beams and arched braces on corbel heads. Two-chamfer C14 tower
arch, dying into plain sides. Four-bay arcades with 4 shafts and
4 wave-mouldings. South aisle has C15 timber roof, two east bays,
the 3 west bays C19. At east end, rood stair, emerging at south-
east angle of nave under a carved corbel head. Moulded shafted
chancel arch with traces of a painted rood above. Chancel has
ornate late C19 Gothic stone reredos with marble shafts and panels.
Tile mosaic panels each side. Fittings: chancel east window
glass 1884. Two south side memorials to Lady M. Biscoe d.1762, in
coloured marble and Vincent Biscoe d.1770. North side fine marble
monument to G. Husey c1750 by Ford of Bath. Nave has ornate stone
and marble pulpit c1890 with carved figures, fine brass candelabra
from Melksham church, C15 octagonal stone font and elaborate west
end memorial to Tipper family by R. Broad of Box, 1719. In tower
arch are fragments of former west gallery dated 1706 and 1726.
North aisle has west end brasses to John Stokys (d.1498) and his
wife, east end C19 Gothic monuments to the Schomberg family and
late C19 glass, north side windows, from west of c1910, 1891 and
c1855 and various C19 monuments including Gothic one to Wadham
Locke d.1835 by W. Osmond. South aisle has memorial to Wadham
Locke d.1799 by T. King, and to Wadham Locke d.1841 by W. Osmond.
(E. Bradby, The Church of the Holy Cross Seend 1985; N. Pevsner,
Wiltshire 1975, 464-5)
Listing NGR: ST9441060927
