Details
WILSFORD CUM LAKE WILSFORD
SU 13 NW
(east side)
8/211 Church of St Michael
18.2.58
II*
Anglican parish church. C12, largely rebuilt 1852 by T. H. Wyatt
for Giles Loder. Strap-pointed flint with limestone dressings.
Greensand quoins to C12 work in tower. Tiled roofs. Nave and
chancel in one, with organ chamber on north, a timber framed south
porch, by Weaver, added 1869 and C12 west tower. Widely spaced
lancets and sill string course. Triple lancets to east end.
Ashlar eaves course. Some chevron and other C12 carved stones
built in walls. Tower has C12 lower two stages without
buttresses, and west door with nook shafts and cushioned capitals.
Two round headed windows. Upper stage rebuilt, with corbelled
parapet and two light openings. Pyramidal tiled roof.
Interior: Spacious, walls plastered and floor flagged. Chancel
differentiated from nave by heavier truss only. Nave roof of 3½
bays, open timber trusses with principal rafters braced from hammer
beams, and vertical studs above collars. Chancel truss of pierced
oak carried on timber wall shafts on stone corbels. Panelled
angled ceiling over chancel end. C12 tower arch with chamfered
impost capitals, applied balls on north side. Round headed
opening from bell chamber to nave. Fittings: Font, octagonal
limestone bowl on short column, possibly C17, reset C19. Panelled
pulpit. Communion rail, choir stalls and pews all C19 but two
probably C17 plain pews near rear of church. Organ by J.W.
Walker, 1858 in Gothic case. Glass: In south chancel window, a
small C15 crucified Christ set in C14 pieces.
Monuments: An interesting range of wall monuments. North side,
from east end:
a) Gothic limestone niche with angled buttresses and ogee cusped
canopy. To Edward Duke of Lake House, died 1852.
b) Small neat Carrara marble tablet. A pyramid over panel, to
Samuel Andrews, died 1801.
c) Gothic niche by Osmund. Nodding crocketed ogee canopy between
panelled buttresses carrying square pinnacles, crocketed gable
behind. Inscribed and imprinted marble panel to Elizabeth
Loder of Wilsford House.
d) Large Carrara marble panel with fluted frame, to Augustine
Hayter, died 1779, and later family.
e) Engraved slate tablet by Eric Gill, portraying mother and
child, to Wynlayne Foster Lodge of Painswick, died 1922.
f) Wall tablet by Earlsman of Sarum. Shaped top. White marble
oval panel on grey field with shaped top. Urn over, husks
below, to Richard Chandler, died 1784.
South side, from east end:
g) Corniced wall tablet by Earlsman. White and grey marbles.
Urn on steps above erased wyvern crest on apron. To Robert
Duke, died 1793, and wife, died 1805.
h) White marble tablet with yellow marble panel, scroll and
foliage supporters. Cornice over, carrying coloured mantled
arms. Two putti in three-quarter relief below. To Edward
Wyndham Tennant, died 1916 on the Somme.
i) In window embrasure: polished slate tablet with shaped top, a
crown of ships in roundel. To Lt. John Chetwode, RN, died
1941.
j) In next embrasure: a terrazzo tablet with shaped top. Relief
of Monte Cassino within wreath. To Major Douglas Bailey, died
1944.
k) White marble sarcophagus on grey by Osmund. Corniced lid with
coloured arms. To Philip Pinckney, died 1843.
1) Polished limestone panel to Richard Sykes, ambassador to the
Netherlands, assassinated 1979.
m) White marble corniced panel on grey. Draped urn over. To
John Pinckney, died 1792.
On west wall, carved arms of George III and two hatchments i)
Robert Duke, died 1749, and ii) Robert Duke, son of last, died
1793, as g) above.
In chancel, a series of 6 cast and painted plaster panels of angels
playing musical instruments, separate garlands over, and roundels
above. Half round panels below with quotations from Keats' Ode
In nave eight C18 metal sconces.
(Pevsner: Buildings of England: Wiltshire; Churches of South
East Wiltshire; rchm. 1987)
In churchyard, four significant post-Great War memorials.
a) Against south chancel wall, 1940, limestone, to Sir Oliver
Lodge, and adjacent slab to wife; and in churchyard extension: b)
A striking limestone headstone with very broad cornice and swept
base, by Roderick Gradidge. Figure and inscription both sides. To
Diana Blow, died 1967. c) Tablet to Field Marshall Sir Gerald
Templar, died 1979, and d) Headstone to David Tennant, died 1968,
to which his wife, Hermione Baddeley was added, 1986.
Listing NGR: SU1348239802
