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THE FRIENDS OF WILTSHIRE CHURCHES

Annual Report 2017

www.wiltshirehistoricchurchestrust.org.uk

Chapel of St Mary Tory, Bradford on Avon

THE FRIENDS OF WILTSHIRE CHURCHES ANNUAL REPORT 20171

The Friends Of Wiltshire Churches

PresidentMrs Sarah Rose Troughton, HM Lord-Lieutenant of Wiltshire

Vice-PresidentsLieutenant-Colonel James ArkellMadeleine, Countess of BessboroughThe Bishop of BristolJohn Bush EsqThe Bishop of CliftonRobert Floyd EsqHenry Hoare EsqThe Countess of InchcapeThe Rt Rev William IndSir Maurice JohnstonLord King of BridgwaterThe Marquis of LansdowneLord MargadaleLord Marland of OdstockLady NuttingMrs Claire Perry MPThe Earl of RadnorMajor-General Sir Sebastian RobertsSir Henry Rumbold, BtThe Bishop of SalisburyThe Dean of SalisburyViscount SidmouthThe Duchess of SomersetLord Talbot of Malahide

ChairmanMartin Knight Esq

Deputy ChairmanMrs Diana Matthews-Duncan

SecretaryDavid Evans Esq

TreasurerPeter Smith EsqTreasurer of the Wiltshire Historic Churches Trust (WHCT)

CommitteeMrs Diana Beattie The Hon Edward BuchanHis Honour Judge Mark Everall QC (Chairman of WHCT)Jeremy Groom EsqMichael Hodges EsqLuke Hughes EsqBrigadier Nigel Jackson (Secretary of the WHCT)The Ven Alan JeansMrs Caroline KeevilMorris le Fleming EsqMrs Clare MilesJohn Osborne EsqMark Robinson EsqChris Rogers EsqNeil Skelton EsqMichael Wade Esq

New Members

We are pleased to welcome the following new members who joined during 2017:

Mrs Elisabeth Allen (Bath)Mr & Mrs Peter Bell (Marden)Mr & Mrs Simon Bennett (Luckington)Mrs Agnes Capes (Westbury)Mr & Mrs Gwynne Evans (Trowbridge)Ms Sarah Finch-Crisp (Wroughton)Mr & Mrs Rodney Gillington (Urchfont)Mrs Belinda Harding (Marlborough)Mr William Hiscocks (Berwick St James)Major General & Mrs Anthony Jeapes (Warminster)Dr & Mrs George Lodge (Upper South Wraxall) Dr Terry Rogers (Marlborough)Mrs Barbara Tomlinson (Codford)The Rev Simon Woodley (Salisbury)Mrs Deborah Young (Winterbourne Bassett)

THE FRIENDS OF WILTSHIRE CHURCHES ANNUAL REPORT 2017 2

Future Events

Saturday 10 February 2018Winter Lecture Series.“The Urns and Sepulchres of Mortality” Wiltshire Church Monuments from St Osmund to Sir Nikolaus Pevsner by Michael Hodges, at the Hinton Hall, Church Street, Tisbury, SP3 6NH. 3.00pm.

Saturday 17 March 2018Annual General Meeting, followed by the Annual Guest Lecture on War Memorials, Near and Far, to be given by Dr Timothy Connor, at Market Lavington Community Hall, SN10 4DG at 2.30pm.

Saturday 14 April 2018Proposed tour of churches in the Ludgershall area, to include Collingbourne Kingston, East Grafton and Tidcombe to be led by Brian Woodruffe.

Saturday 19 May 2018Proposed tour of churches around Salisbury Plain, to include Imber to be led by Neil Skelton.

Sunday 24 June 2018Summer party at Lydiard Park, preceded by choral evensong at St Mary’s Lydiard Tregose.

Saturday 7 July 2018Proposed tour of churches near Bradford-on-Avon to include Great Chalfield, Westwood and Lacock to be led by John Osborne.

Saturday 8 September 2018Proposed tour of churches in North Wiltshire, to include Selsley and Minchinhampton in Gloucestershire, to be led by Christopher Rogers.

Further details of all these events will be announced in due course.

Website News

The trustees decided that our website needed to be brought into the more modern age. Nigel Jackson has done sterling work in achieving this and our new revamped site went live at the end of the year. We hope the Friends will invest time discovering the huge amount of information that is to be found.

www.wiltshirehistoricchurchestrust.org.uk


Wiltshire Historic Churches Trust Grants

We have again been able to take advantage of partnership grants, totalling £10,000, offered by the National Churches Trust. As a result, an additional £5,000 was awarded to both St Peter’s Stourton and Christ Church, Shaw.

The following grants were awarded by the Trustees in June 2017:

TOTAL £38,500.00 plus £10,000 NCT Partnership Grants

ChurchSt Peter, Stourton

Christ Church, Shaw

St Andrew, Newton Toney

St George, Preshute

St John, West Grimstead

St Mary, Rodbourne Cheney

St Peter, Milton Lilbourne

St Andrew, Collingbourne Ducis

St Nicholas, Baydon

St Giles, Tytherton Kellaways

St Peter ad Vincula, Broad Hinton

All Saints, Oaksey

St Christopher, Ditteridge

St Augustine, Upton Lovell

Station Hill Baptist, Chippenham

St Michael and All Angels, Hilperton

St John, Upper Studley

Holy Cross, Chiseldon with Draycott Foliat

ProjectChurch roof replacement

Spire, roofs and drainage

Spire and roofs

Tower roof

Tower roof

Tower, roof and drainage

Tower repair

Tower mullion

Vestry roof

Cupola repair

Nave roof

15th Century Wall Paintings

Historic stained glass window

Reventilate nave, wiring and damp proofing

Disabled and Pushchair access

Heating

Electrical/fire safety

Internal Wall repairs

£ Grant£2000

£4000

£2000

£2000

£2000

£2000

£1500

£1000

£1500

£2000

£2000

£4000

£500

£2000

£2500

£2500

£1000

£4000


The following grants were awarded by the Trustees in November 2017

TOTAL £36,000.00 2017 TOTAL £74,500.00 plus £10,000

ChurchSt Andrew, Castle Combe

St Peter and St Paul,Heytesbury

St Mary, Stapleford

St Mary, Purton

St Peter, Poulshot

All Saints, Westbury

St Patrick, Corsham

St Mary, West Knoyle

Bath Road Methodist, Swindon

St Mary, Lydiard Tregoze

All Saints, West Winterslow

St Michael and All Angels, Melksham

St Margaret, Chilmark

St Mary, Bishops Cannings

St George, Fovant

St Peter, Great Cheverell

All Saints, All Cannings

Holy Cross, Seend

All Saints, Whiteparish

ProjectKnight’s Chapel and Vestry

Chancel roof

Chancel roof, guttering, pointing

Chancel and Porch roofs

Tower

Tower roof

Tower, walls, gutter, fire door

Porch and Chancel stonework, Nave roof

Stonework and walls

Medieval wall paintings

WW1 Memorial

Heating boiler

Heating boiler

Heating boiler

Urgent electrical safety

Toilet, kitchenette and servery

Toilet renovation

Toilet and kitchenette

Historic organ

£ Grant£2500

£2750

£1000

£2000

£2000

£2500

£1000

£1000

£1000

£3000

£2000

£2000

£2000

£2000

£2500

£2500

£1250

£2500

£500


News Round by Martin Knight

Once again, it is my pleasure to report on a very satisfactory year which has been enjoyed by the Friends: lots of varied events, the highlight of which was undoubtedly our summer party at Trafalgar Park.

We have tried to ring a few changes to our well established programme of church tours by adding some extra events and extending our reach beyond the county boundary.

In February, we trialled the first in our series of Winter Lectures. How very fortunate we are to have Brian Woodruffe, one of our trustees, who was able to share his knowledge of all the wonderful stained glass that is in our churches. His talk on Stained Glass in Wessex Churches post WW1 was fascinating and, of course, contained some brilliant illustrations collected from his travels round the county. Such was the success of this lecture, that Michael Hodges is now under huge pressure to maintain this high standard in February 2018.

Your committee has been doing a lot of thinking about anniversaries and it was decided to mark the centenary of the Russian Revolution by inviting Jane Angelini, well known for her knowledge of Russian art, to deliver the Annual Lecture at our AGM in March. Her talk on Liturgy and Art in Russian Churches was extremely well received and we were able to enjoy it in the appropriate surroundings of St Mary & St Nicholas, Wilton, which was built by the Russian Countess, Katerina

Voronsova, wife of the 11th Earl of Pembroke. Anniversaries will still be in our minds at the AGM in 2018 when we will reflect on War Memorials.

We will probably remember the summer of 2017 as one of two halves. Fortunately, our summer party fell in the good half and some 120 Friends were able to enjoy a glorious June evening of eating and drinking at Trafalgar Park. We are extremely grateful to Michael Wade for his generosity in allowing us to use his magnificent house and garden for this occasion. My grateful thanks go to Diana Mathews-Duncan and her army of helpers who arranged the catering. As is our custom, we held an evensong in a nearby church prior to the supper. I am very grateful to the Rev Frank Gimson and his team at St Laurence, Downton for arranging this service for us. As an added bonus, we were delighted to welcome the Rt Rev Edward Condry, Bishop of Ramsbury, to preach at the service. Such was the excellence and relevance of his sermon, that we have, with his permission, published a summary in this report. It all made for a very special evening.

It is not often that one finds oneself being the beneficiary of a fund raising event without having to lift a finger. So when we were approached by Marion Gordon-Finlayson who offered us the proceeds from the play held in her garden at Ogbourne Maizey each


summer, we leapt at the chance. Fortunately, that July evening was fine and we were able enjoy a performance of the hilarious Third Policeman by Flann O’Brien produced by the Miracle Theatre Company from Cornwall. We were even more delighted when Marion presented the Trust with a cheque for £1700. Huge thanks go to her and her husband, Ian.

Church tours have been the backbone of the Friends’ activities since its inception. In 2017 we attempted to vary them by subject and location and, we hope, catered for all tastes. We started in April in the Frome area, therefore, partly outside our own county. Glyn Bridges led a fascinating tour which benefitted well from his great local knowledge.In May we became a little more academic and enlisted the help of the Wiltshire Medieval Graffiti Survey Group. Tony Hack and Judith Thompson started with a comprehensive presentation on their work before we examined some amazing graffiti in churches around the Devizes area. Most of us must have visited Salisbury Cathedral but in July, and in the company of two such expert guides as John Osborne and Christopher Rogers, we were truly spoilt. John also managed to gain special access to the Library which was an enormous privilege. Finally, on a glorious September day, Eddie Buchan took us round some of the churches in North West Wilts. Who can forget exploring the idyllic village and church of Ditteridge.

To all our guides, I offer our sincere thanks for all the work they do in arranging such special outings.Detailed reports of all these tours can be found in the body of the Report.

I am pleased to welcome Lord Talbot of Malahide as a Vice-President, in place of his late father, and Jeremy Groom who has joined the Friends committee. Our membership continues to grow at a steady rate and during the year we were pleased to welcome 16 new Friends. Clearly, our membership and subscriptions to the church tours and summer party generate good income for the Trust but this is always surpassed by the magnificent amount raised by Ride & Stride each year. We are once again greatly indebted to Charles Graham for managing this so successfully. Charles is embarking on his last year in this role and we would be pleased to hear from anyone who would consider taking over from him. Our activities, combined with sales from Christmas cards and Brian Woodruffe’s book allowed us to allocate almost £85,000 (£10,000 of which came from the NCT) to our beautiful churches.

Finally, my grateful thanks to Kt Keevil Whitehead who has kindly overseen the design of this report and to Bishop Ed whose sermon in June was a true inspiration and so pertinent to us all. I feel it deserves its place right here:

The poet and priest R.S. Thomas wrote that “I was vicar of large things in a small parish.” He was, I suppose, imagining that he was the one who was to speak of the immensities of


God, steward of His mysteries, and there he was locked in a parish where no doubt people wanted to discuss the price of harvest festival tickets, replacing the pews and clearing the gutters. He probably would have felt that too much time was spent considering stone, lead and wood: the conservation of ancient fabric.There is something bleak, deep and yet inspiring about Thomas’s poetry. He was also a miserabilist, and I think in this case wrong. God is found most often in those small yet concrete things which make up church life, and perhaps most especially in buildings.First, however, a digression. Rowan Williams told a story of visiting a theological college where a “pious ordinand” asked him what prayer he used when receiving the collection at Offertory. The ordinand was expecting some great piece of spiritual poetry. Rowan, however, replied, “Well, I usually just say, ‘thanks for the money’ “.

So to all of you in the Wiltshire Historic Churches’ Trust: Thanks for the money. I was at Stourton this summer where they successfully raised money for the roof. I went to Fifield Bavant at Christmas last year where with a population of 22 they raised £125,000 to keep the roof on. I was at Chilton Foliat earlier in the year where they had raised well over £200,000. At Alton Barnes we celebrated another near £200,000 fund raising campaign successfully completed. These efforts are magnificent. They renew hope. Your contributions as a Trust are significant. Thank you.

For too long, I believe, it has been easy to downgrade the importance of church buildings. They are dismissed as human concerns , or even worse, true obstacles in the way of perceiving the immensity of God: the large things. We have been told to concentrate on the church as the people. There is something deep about memory identity and the holiness of prayer which is held in the stones. Go to Netheravon and walk through the 11th century door and think of all those who have walked through there for worship at time of personal or national peril in those near 1000 years. Take communion at Stanton St Bernard and you will be physically joining with those whose lips have taken wine from their beautiful 16th century chalice.The church is both people and building. Indeed, I would say that for many who do not come, the prime sign of the church is the building. Our Diocesan Synod has adopted a policy which emphasises the importance of a flourishing Christian presence in every community, and that involves a commitment to the building as well as the people. Our experience of God needs a physical focus that we find in the sacraments. I believe that the church building is a kind of sacrament itself. Our discipleship of Christ needs to be held in a community of God’s people that is found in the church, and which is past, present and future.So thanks for the money, as the Archbishop said. Thanks also for your support of our glorious churches, living symbols of a living faith.


“Thank you all for your very kind donations, we reached our target of £200 and cycled 37 miles to 20 lovely churches through beautiful countryside. Glorious sunshine all day and a total soaking in the last 5 minutes.” A couple from Kington St. Michael.

“We made it to Chirton, Beechingstoke, Marden, Wilsford, Charlton, North Newnton, Rushall and Upavon. Not sure how far we walked, but it must have been more than 10 miles. It was a great walk, the weather was mostly kind (we got drenched just before Rushall) and we even got to see a wedding!” Two sisters from Chirton and Upavon.

Supporters of Wiltshire’s churches turned out in greater numbers in 2017 than in the inclement weather of 2016: over 300 of them, mainly cyclists,but plenty of walkers, a couple of

Ride & Stride Saturday 9th September 2017

by Charles Graham

horse-riders, two mobility scooter riders from Melksham and a large number of exercise bikers from Hilperton. St. James, Bratton again set a fine example, fielding 46 participants and walking off with the Brooke Cup for the 7th year in succession. The Junior Cup (under 18s) was won this year by a small group from St Mary the Virgin, Grittleton. Congratulations to all.

The amount of sponsorship money raised was £45,000, half of which goes back to the participants’ chosen church. When Gift Aid is added the total should come to over £53,000, similar to the 2016 figure. Bratton and Salisbury Cathedral both raised over £2,000, and a number of quite small churches, including St. Michael, Compton Chamberlayne, St George, Preshute and St Michael, Shalbourne, raised over £1,000.

3 generations of Bratton striders Jill Houghton at Pitton


- Raymond Samways of Laverstock has completed 25 years, cycling and then walking. This year, aged 87, he walked to 15 churches around Salisbury, raising £422, which he reckons brings his total to over £11,000.

- Another long-standing supporter is Roger Hayward of Netheravon. He was unable to take part last year, suffering from a serious cancer. After a successful operation he was back on his bike this year, covering 50 miles and visiting 20 churches.

The Trust is hugely grateful for the commitment of such people. It seems a shame that so many church-goers are reluctant to join in what is an enjoyable and relatively painless way of raising money, both for their own church and to contribute to the vital work of the Trust. The 2018 Ride & Stride is on Saturday 8th September; maybe readers of this who are PCC members could prompt your colleagues into action?

A selection of notable individual achievements:

- 42 churches were notched up by Adrian Johnson and Ian Wigmore form Great Somerford and John Davidson from the Dorcan Church, Swindon.

- Alan Abrams (aged 88) from Melksham cycled to 19 churches.

- 3 generations of striders from Bratton - Grandmother Cally Walters, her daughter Alice (9 months pregnant) and grandson William, aged 2 – walked round 6 churches in Devizes.

- Jillian Wright from Salisbury Cathedral raised £1,055.

Many loyal supporters of Ride & Stride have been participating for a very long time. Two examples:

Trust Sec Nigel Jackson at his home church in Corsham

Tabitha Hope (Rodbourne) on her 9th birthday


Report on the Annual General Meeting and Annual Lecture held in the Church of St. Mary

and St. Nicholas, Wilton, Saturday, 18th March, 2017

by Clare Miles

Annual General MeetingMartin Knight, Chairman, extended a welcome to Sarah Troughton, Lord-Lieutenant of Wiltshire and President of the Friends of Wiltshire Churches, and to the fifty Members present. The President thanked Martin and the members of his committee for all their work throughout the year which contributes so much towards the maintenance and repair of Wiltshire’s churches. She also welcomed Jane Angelini and said how much she was looking forward to her lecture.

The minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 19th March, 2016, were approved.In his report the Chairman thanked Neil Skelton, Committee Member, and members of the Church of St. Mary and St. Nicholas for their part in the arrangements for the day’s meeting. David Evans was unable to attend; he was thanked for his on-going work as Secretary and for recently distributing the Annual Report for 2016. Producing the Annual Report has been generously undertaken for many years by Luke Hughes, Committee Member, and his company. This contribution was gratefully acknowledged.Reviewing the past year, the Chairman commented on the activity of the Wiltshire Historic Churches Trust whereby 30 churches

had been awarded grants for maintenance, improvements or conservation projects. Particular grants had been supplemented through a beneficial partnership with the National Churches Trust which offered match-funding up to the value of £10,000 each year. He stressed that the Trust would welcome more applications from churches and chapels.

For last year’s events, thanks were due to the leaders of four well attended Church tours and especially to Vice President, Madeleine, Countess of Bessborough, for very kindly hosting, once again, the annual summer party at Roche Court; September’s event preceded by Evensong at Farleigh Church was particularly popular.Charles Graham, Wiltshire Coordinator of the annual fund-raising event, ‘Ride & Stride’, had described in the Annual Report the brave efforts of participants who toured around churches in poor weather. Via the support of their sponsors they raised nearly £44,000 which, with the addition of Gift Aid, would be at the disposal of the Wiltshire Historic Churches Trust.Looking to the programme of events for 2017, four tours of churches were planned with itineraries occasionally


appropriateness of the venue chosen for the lecture. He asked Neil Skelton to give a little more background.

The Church of St. Mary and St Nicholas, Wilton

Neil Skelton gave an outline account of the church which was built in 1841-45 to designs by Thomas Henry Wyatt and David Brandon for Lord Sidney Herbert, brother of the Earl of Pembroke and his Russian-born mother, Catherine, the Dowager Countess. The architectural style selected was that of a round-arched Italianate Romanesque which was briefly popular in the mid Victorian period. The interior is lofty and monumental in scale with the character of an early Christian basilica. The focal point of the interior is the richly decorated East End with a mosaic depicting Christ in Glory and the church’s dedicatees, St. Mary and St. Nicholas, to either side.Fine quality sculpture, valuable artefacts, stained glass and stonework were described by Neil Skelton. Many items had been acquired from continental sources or from the 1842 Strawberry Hill sale of Horace Walpole’s antiquarian collection.

The Chairman then welcomed Jane Angelini. Jane had graduated in Russian Studies and took a Masters degree in Byzantine & Early Russian Art & Architecture. As well as running St James’s Art Tours she works as a free-lance lecturer for numerous organisations, including NADFAS, the Art Fund and Swan Hellenic Cruises.

extending their reach over the county border, as has happened in the past. The Miracle Theatre of Cornwall will present the play, ‘The Third Policeman’ by Flann O’Brien on Friday 14th July, at Ogbourne Maizey. Thanks to Marion Gordon-Finlayson the profits from this show will be donated to the Wiltshire Historic Churches Trust. Members would be fully notified of these events and of the date and venue for the 2017 Summer Party. Peter Smith, Treasurer of the WHCT, presented his statement of the Friends of Wiltshire Churches’ income and expenditure for 11 months, 1st April, 2016 to 28th February, 2017, showing a balance of £23,400. A net profit of £4,000 had resulted from the Summer Party. Income from membership fees, events, and the sale of Christmas cards and Brian Woodruffe’s book, ‘The Parish Churches of Wiltshire’, had remained steady. Income from donations in 2016 was reduced from the previous year’s result which had had the benefit of an exceptional gift. He reported that in the year to date Wiltshire Historic Churches Trust grants paid to churches totalled £49,350. Outstanding grants yet to be claimed, totalled £94,700.

The provisional date of the next Annual General Meeting was set as Saturday 17th March, 2018.

The Chairman then formally closed the Annual General Meeting.Since the annual lecture was on the theme of Russian churches, the chairman alerted members on the


The Annual Lecture : Churches of Russia – Art and Liturgy

Given by Jane Angelini

The starting point for the lecture was the centenary commemoration of the 1917 Russian Revolution, a subject which in turn prompted a look at the broader historical sweep of art and liturgy of the Russian Orthodox Church. The impressive architectural setting for the lecture was reminiscent of Byzantine art and early Italian church architecture and seemed appropriate to the subject.

The scene was set with an illustration of a painting of a public meeting with sight of Tatlin’s 1919 model for the sculpture, ‘Monument to the Third International’. At the time of the Revolution progressive Russian artists were forging radical styles with revolutionary fervour but politicians eventually suppressed their avant-garde work in favour of Soviet Social Realism. However in portraits of Lenin or pictures of industrial workers, iconic imagery could be detected. The Revolution could not throw off centuries of engrained artistic sensibility which had its roots in medieval art of the Russian Orthodox Church. The speaker first took us through Russia’s misty beginnings.

In the 6th and 7th centuries, across a borderless land of vast forests, steppes and deserts, Slavs had merged with Viking traders and were exploring river routes between the Baltic, Caspian and Black Seas. By the 10th century

Kiev was a flourishing commercial centre. In deciding on religious practice for Kiev, leaders favoured the Orthodox branch of Christian-ity and looked to Constantinople for guidance. Envoys were overwhelmed by Hagia Sophia Cathedral, the moving liturgy, the spiritual mysticism of the Church and its veneration of holy icons. In 988 Prince Vladimir of Kiev was baptised along with his people thereby creating a Christian state. The Cathedral of Saint Sophia followed the pattern of Byzantine church architecture with a central dome and prominent apse; craftsmen from Constantinople assisted with interior mosaic decoration.

As frescoes and mosaics were not always practicable in wooden structures and sculptures deemed unacceptable, so the use of icons in churches was adopted. In 1131 the Greek Patriarch of Constantinople sent the ‘Mother of God’ icon to Kiev; it became a model for artists. The iconostasis for the display of icons was developed; it was a huge wall with a door behind which the sanctuary was placed. Artists, generally priests, followed the strictly prescribed and hallowed ways of depicting Christ, the Holy Virgin or Saints. Painted images on wooden panels did not simply illustrate sacred episodes for the pious who could not read. Icons were consecrated objects of meditation


Kiev diminished. By the 15th century Moscow had grown in influence and prosperity and the nearby Trinity Monastery of St. Sergii became the spiritual and artistic centre for the Orthodox Church. Its achievements were exemplified by the art of the monk Andrei Rublev. The schools of icon painting in Novgorod and Suzdal had earlier softened the rigid Byzantine Kiev style, compositions had more depth, rhythm and bright glowing colour. Rublev’s style now combined grace, spirituality and humanity. His celebrated icon of 1420, ‘The Trinity’, showing three angels seated around a table, was imbued with religious symbolism to focus on the mystery of the Holy Trinity.

Russia had been isolated from the influence of the Italian Renaissance but by the 16th century western styles of art and architecture were slowly being introduced. Greater freedom of interpretation in religious art and architecture was sought and the more secular Europeanising policies of Peter the Great consolidated this trend. However, by the end of the 19th century wealthy industrialists and the intelligentsia began to reclaim Old Russian Art. Arts and Crafts Movement buildings based on traditional styles were produced and the art of icon painting was revived. In wider art historical terms, icon painting which had been considered a debased form of classical art, now found its proper place. After the Revolution, with the cleaning and classification of historic examples, a better understanding of their aesthetic grew.

which showed the Heavenly Kingdom and Sacred Truths in visual terms, conveying mysteries that were beyond man’s understanding. Early icons of the Kiev School displayed the rigid monumentality of Byzantine works and little depth or naturalism.

Churches from the 11th century onwards retained the influence of Byzantine Orthodoxy. Buildings were adapted to suit local materials and Russian winters; single domes were replaced by clusters of small domes. The decoration of the interior walls was hierarchic, from Heaven down to Earth – a microcosm of the Universe.Uppermost in the apses were the large-scale images of Christ or the Holy Virgin, below in tiers were ranks of Saints and biblical scenes. Thespeaker explained characteristics of these Orthodox presentations: they inspired hope, depictions of The Crucifixion or of Damnation were rare; mysticism prevailed as God alone had the answers and man was inconsequential.

We were treated to evocative illustrations of white painted and domed churches and monasteries in sometimes remote sacred places. Novgorod was a rich Holy City, Suzdal monastery, a spiritual centre and the exquisite Cathedral of the Annunciation in Moscow’s Kremlin was a treasure house of icons. The extraordinary mass of the colourful domes of St. Basil’s Cathedral seemed to embody a Heavenly Jerusalem.

Following the 13th century Mongolianinvasion the economic significance of


In the years preceding the 1917 Revolution knowledge of European artistic movements combined with the interest in traditional art to encourage a modernist culture. The painter Kasimir Malevitch founded Suprematism which centred on the primacy of feeling whereby the visual phenomena of the objective world were meaningless. With other avant-garde artists he employed a ‘grammar’ of flat geometrical forms. The centrepiece of the 1915 Suprematist exhibition was his, ‘Black Square’, placed in the ‘red/beautiful corner’ which, in the Russian Orthodox tradition, was the place for the main icon in a home. In this contemplative work the speaker recognised a ‘cosmic energy’. This breakthrough in modernist thinking was to be influential in the development of abstract art in the West, however Malevitch eventually

returned to figurative art. His, ‘Self Portrait’ revealed stylistic features of icon painting in the flatness of form and the emphasis on boldly defined eyes and hands. He could also portray a religious intensity in, ‘Peasants at Prayer’. Soviet figurative painter, Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin produced modern day religiousimages and icons even. His ‘Madonna and Child’ showed a contemporary ‘Worker’ woman and child. Jane Angelini saw in Russian culture in its widest sense an abstract communion of worship and rigorous zeal – a force behind the Revolution itself.

Stunned by the speaker’s enlightening accounts and a succession of beautiful illustrations, the audience showed its warm appreciation. The Chairman thanked her for a wonderful lecture.


Winter Lecture SeriesStained Glass in Wessex Churches by Brian Woodruffe

Saturday 11th February 2017 by Caroline Keevil

This was a lovely way to spend a cold February Saturday afternoon - the colours, the warmth and light and the quality and presentation of Brian’s images were a delight. And he talks so well, I liked the way he set out the route he was going to take us from Chartres’ 13th Century Rose window of such inspiration, briefly through Medieval and Victorian to the 20th and now the 21st Century, finally linking Gabriel Loir’s glorious Prisoners of Conscience east window in Salisbury Cathedral back to Chartres. And Brian’s unalloyed admiration for the Salisbury window was quite moving.

He covered the technology of Stained Glass, the different types of glass used and why, that it is painted glass, and the use of leading; to remember that the light is coming towards you through the glass and that clear or pale glass gives the definition to the design; that light moves from east to west and varies in quality; the use of the countryside outside coming through the window; the difference between figurative and symbolic windows; and that contemporary designers are more skilful on those aspects than the medievals were.

There was a lot of detail in this talk, I can only list a few of the churches he took us to and the designers and the designer makers, whose work we saw.

I certainly had my favourites: Christopher Whall early 20th century, Harry Clarke’s Art Deco window in Sturminster Newton 1921, Christopher Webb’s use of yellow in his 1931 north window in Salisbury, Alan Younger’s lancet slab window at Worth Matravers in 2000, so so simple, Henry Haig and Mark Angus’ work in the late 20th Century, Andrew Taylor who lives locally, Thomas Denny’s 2013 window at Woodford. Towards the end when Brian showed us the engraved window that Tracey Sheppard made for Boldre in 2000 the clear uncoloured light was like a frosty morning after so much colour.I am surely going to enjoy visiting these churches with my eyes newly opened.

Loir’s East window at Salisbury Cathedral


Tour of Churches near Frome led by Glyn Bridges

Saturday 8th April 2017by David Evans

Saturday April 8th turned out to be the warmest and sunniest day of the year so far. Since several of the churches were in picturesque countryside, the fine weather was an especially great advantage.

About 28 Friends gathered in the pretty village of Lullington to admire what turned out to be architecturally the most distinguished church of the day, perhaps the most enjoyable Norman village church in Somerset, so Pevsner opined. Inside the church, Glyn Bridges drew our attention to the splendid font with its human and animal faces and inscription assuring us that our sins could be washed away within it. He pointed out interesting Norman features of the arches supporting the central tower. The piece de resistance, however, was the north doorway, which boasts the full array of Norman ornamentation, including a sculpted tympanum, with zigzag and beak-heads around it and a seated figure (Christ in majesty?) in the gable above.

A drive through a huge park, much of it used by golfers, took us to the island church of Orchardleigh. It was tempt-ing to linger outside enjoying the sunshine, the blossom and the tranquil setting instead of entering the dark church. Nonetheless, there was much of interest within, notably an early 14th century font, much late medieval stained glass, two corbel figures designed to hold up the Lenten veil and church plate which includeda 13th century pewter chalice.

Detail of Green Man at All Saints, Lullington

The font at All Saints, Lullington

St Mary’s Orchardleigh


Glyn had arranged for us to have lunch at the Mill at Rode, which has a lovely setting above a mill race, though service proved slow. Fed and watered, we searched out Rodden Church, which has an admirably rural position next to a brook and a farm, but nowhere near a village. This excessively long building is an edifice of 1640, not a date much associated with church-building, and it retains its 17th century pews.

With Berkley Church, our fourth, we moved into the 18th century. It appears that the owner of the local manor house, Thomas Prowse, decided to rebuild the village church near his mansion and acted as his own architect. The exterior is not impressive, but the interior takes the breath away, dominated by a central dome and lantern with sumptuous stucco decoration. It seems clear that Prowse owed much to what Wren had built in London. It was a pity that the impact was somewhat spoiled by an overwhelming musty odour. Yet Pevsner must surely be right in judging this the best Georgian church in any Somerset village.

Our final stop was in Beckington. The impressive Norman tower with vigorous decoration in its upper stages marks the church out as a building of importance and the Perpendicular fan vault inside the tower is a fine feature too. Glyn was critical of the restorers who had exposed the stone walls within the building, but there were several things to enjoy: good timber roofs; two tombs with carved figures of ca. 1370; a coat of arms of West Window at St Mary’s Orchardleigh

Queen Elizabeth with a very prominent green dragon; a 15th century brass (a copy, alas, since a theft); and interesting monuments, including one to Samuel Danyel hailed by Pevsner as probably the first monument in the county in a fully understood classical taste.

Our foray into Somerset proved a most interesting and successful church tour. The general enjoyment owed something to the weather, but even more to our guide, Glyn Bridges. He planned our day with great care and gave us the benefit of his very extensive local knowledge in his introductions to each church, which covered not only the architectural features, but also anecdotes from local history.


Lecture and Tour of Graffiti in Churchesled by Tony Hack and Judith Thomson

Saturday 6th May 2017by Martin Knight and James Thompson

Armed with our torches, some 20 Friends met at St Mary the Virgin, Bishops Cannings on a bright but cold May morning.

Tony and Judith are the prime movers in the Wiltshire Medieval Graffiti Survey Group which is part of the Wiltshire Archaelogical Field Group. Tony gave us a presentation explaining the remit of the study into graffiti in the county, explaining their involvement with a lot of local groups, including Salisbury. They engage with other groups in the UK, particularly Norfolk (who are the pioneers) and hence there is the need for a common parlance. They are also involved in education and have already written several reports, including one for the Churches Conservation Trust. Their current work includes surveying Bath Abbey where, in spite of its inaccessible towers, they are making some amazing finds. They are also involved at Malmesbury Abbey. In both cases, they are helping to build the graffiti into the conservation plans of those buildings.

The word graffiti comes from many roots but it principally means scratching. Clearly, it is important to have good light to view graffiti. But the light has to be angled correctly and we were given a lesson on how to use our torches to the best effect. Technology is also helping us see things more clearly and he showed us

some fascinating examples of reverse imaging. However, he had to admit that there was nothing to beat a real drawing! This is what Judith does so skilfully.

Tony then showed us a series of images ranging from ships and dragons to huntsmen and dogs. Ships are a prize for graffiti lovers, particularly in a land locked county such as ours. There is a particularly beautiful one at St Sampsons Cricklade. But could this symbol carry a particular reference? (see below). There is clearly a huge amount of graffiti to analyse and this has to be done by isolating parts of busy walls and referring to church records for interpretation and dating.

Tony also showed a short film clip of how water when poured onto a carving (on a tomb in this case) can enhance the image. Interestingly the image was best illuminated by a low winter’s sun. When it came to

Tony Hack at Bishop Cannings


pilgrimage symbols, Tony was very open minded. Images of ships could indicate the use of ships as part of the pilgrimage. You can make up whatever stories you like to interpret the graffiti.

This was a fascinating introduction to medieval graffiti. Judith pointed out that we would find graffiti in the obvious places in a church: on pillars, doorways, porches, windows etc. Armed with this information and inspired by Tony’s presentation we set off in pursuit where we found faces, hats, circles and many other scratchings.

Tony and Judith would like to hear of any interesting graffiti we find in our own churches. Please go to www.wiltshire-medieval-graffiti-survey.com. As Tony said, this is a project for things to do for the rest of your life!

After our busy and informative morning, we set off for the White Horse Inn in Compton Bassett who very efficiently provided us with lunch at a long table in their dining room.

Suitably fortified we wound our way back through the narrow country lanes to St Mary the Virgin, Calstone Wellington. Here is a pretty little church, sitting in the middle of nowhere. If you were to look it up in any reference book, not much is said about it.

When we arrived, Tony ushered us all into the porch into which we were crammed like sardines. He then shut the doors putting us in darkness, telling

us that it can up to 20 minutes for our eyes to adjust. No such time today: he turned on his torch and we were blinded by the most amazing amount of graffiti. This he said, was probably the best rural church for graffiti in the county. (See backpage image)

It was hard to know where to start. There were many things not worth bothering about but there were also some fascinating and beautful scratchings: lots of bells (unusual), concentric circles, dragons, ships. Some of the stones appeared to have come from elsewhere but, in spite of that, everything had been done with huge passion. Why was there so much graffiti in the porch when there was almost nothing in the church? Tony and Judith admitted that they still had much to do in their survey of this church.

We had time to walk round the pretty churchyard in the afternoon and even find some strange carvings on the south wall, referred to some as wife beating equipment!

Our third and final church was St Nicholas in Bromham. This is another extensive Wiltshire village, but the stubby tower and elegant spire was always readily evident to guide us to the excellent car park nearby.

We were greeted by the Church Warden and friends clearing up after a wedding! The church is large in a pleasant and well-kept graveyard in the centre of the old part of the village. Inside, the nave and chancel are as large as the chantry chapel on


the south side. It was to this chapel that we came to study the graffiti on the excellent tomb effigy of Sir Roger Tocotes. The chapel was founded by him and his stepson Sir Richard Beauchamp between 1485 and 1491. He died in 1492 and is remembered by this very detailed and impressive effigy in Derbyshire alabaster, on a Marazion serpentine plinth. The effigy has been easy to inscribe, well covered with fascinating graffiti from the 16th century onwards.

John Drew explains the graffiti on the Tocotes tomb

John Drew , the Church Warden explained the history of the chapel and the tomb, and drew our attention to several of the names. Many were of past rectors, and some names can still be found in the village today! The standard of carving is varied, as the graffiti were made by Cromwellian troops, by rectors and priests, by members of the congregation and even children.

However, they are all very clear and often very well cut. Tony Hack and Judy showed us many more examples on the effigy and on the walls, with their excellent torches.

The 15th century gilded and decorated ceiling above the tomb, set off the chapel to perfection.

We also enjoyed the beautifully embroidered church kneelers, laid out on the pews. The east window is by William Morris, and the west window by Constable, both glowing in the afternoon sun.

We are most grateful to John Drew for his attention and interest, also for the cup of tea and biscuits, offered while we admired and pondered the graffiti. It was a fitting and exciting end to a very good and interesting day.

Our huge thanks go to Tony Hack and Judith Thomson.

Tocotes tomb graffiti by Henry Richards 1634;

Tocotes tomb graffiti by Tho Bond 1681


Tour of Salisbury Cathedral and Library led by John Osborne

Saturday 8th July 2017 by Martin Knight and Clare Miles

Another lovely summer’s day saw a group of some 20 Friends assemble outside the Cathedral thereby avoiding the special service for Bishop Wordsworth School Founders’ Day.Fortunately, we are able to move straight to the Library where John introduced us to the Librarian, Emily Naish.

Emily explained that the current room was built in 1445 and since then had been reduced in size. It was originally a chained library which meant that each book was chained to its shelf for security. Prior to this, the books were kept at Old Sarum, many of which were donated by Bishop Edmund Guest.

The present library has been through many incarnations during which time jackdaws were found to be invading and nesting during the 19th C and many volumes have lain in dust, neglected for many years.

The library currently holds about 10,000 books, a third of which are not fully catalogued. The main catalogue was printed in 1880 and work is now being done to put it on-line. There are three sections: modern reference, donations and bequests, old manuscripts (the oldest being from the 9th C).

The original bookcases were made out of oak owned by Henry VI and access was limited. In the 19thC it became open to the public and, curiously, things went missing. Consequently access became restricted and many current cathedral workers have never been in. Emily now arranges special open days and we were very fortunate to be the beneficiary of one.

After Emily’s talk we were then able to examine (no touching!) several marvellous books which she had laid out for us. These included: a beautiful 10thC psalter written in latin but with an Anglo-Saxon translation beside the text, thought to be owned by the nunnery at Wilton, a 14thC service book which included lots of plainsong, and even a seminal text on forestry and the making of cider from 1670.

Our visit concluded with a short explanation of parish libraries. These were very common after 1720 thanks to the enthusiasm of Thomas Bray who also set up lots in New England.

Library Books at Salisbury Cathedral


Now the only one remaining in Wiltshire is that at Steeple Ashton. 200 books, not all of which are theological, from the parish library at Gillingham (Dorset) are currently preserved at the cathedral.

For the second part of our tour, we split into two groups and into the very capable hands of John Osborne and Christopher Rogers, both official guides to the Cathedral.

What an awe inspiring place it is and we all marvelled at its space and grandeur. Chris angled his talk towards ‘Restoration and Taste’ as, throughout the centuries, so much had done to the building by additions and restoration.

We start with an early example of Early English Gothic but with French influence. In 1208 the Bishop of Salisbury fled to France and consequently the newly built

cathedrals at St Denis and Notre Dame made an impression on the visiting English scholars. The cathedral was constructed out of Purbeck marble and Chilmark limestone between 1220 and 1258. There was no spire, or expectation of it, and no set of bells. The A frames were made out of Clarendon and Kilkenny oak.

Perhaps the most extraordinary thing is that the foundations are only 4ft deep and adding a spire was a huge engineering feat. Christopher Wren was heavily involved in the maintenance of it by adding reinforcing tie beams above the crossing. There is still a huge amount of scaffolding within the spire to support it.

We are, of course, lucky to have so many paintings, particularly by Turner, made of the cathedral through the ages. So much restoration took place: the High Church movement

Chris Rogers explaining how high the water table is under the cathedral


in the 1830s resulted in Gilbert Scott installing the choir stalls and adding a cast iron screen which was removed in 1958. King George III commissioned an organ which has now ended up in St Thomas’ church in the city.Pictures from 1968 show a magnificent reredos and candelabra, all now removed.

We strolled leisurely round admiring so many features pointed out by Chris: the Coats of arms belonging to successive bishops, A fine old chest used for storing documents, monuments with hands and noses removed, and the exquisite chapel of Edmund Audley (similar to work at St George’s Windsor). We were able to admire two sets of medieval stained glass and could make out traces of coloured pigment in parts of the ceiling.

Overall it was a fascinating tour of one of the country’s great treasures and Chris left us worrying about the next time that the building might flood and pondering over the great question of restoration versus modification.

Our grateful thanks to John for organising such a wonderful tour and to Emily and Chris for contributing so much.

The excursion’s afternoon visit brought six members to the Parish Church of St. Thomas and St. Edmund in the heart of Salisbury, the perfect starting place for anyone wanting to understand the history and character of the city. Sally Vaughan, of the Wiltshire Historic Churches Trust, showed us around her

church which is a welcoming and vital place of worship. She described the church’s origins; it was dedicated to St. Thomas of Canterbury after 1226. Rebuilding programmes of the 15th and 16th centuries produced today’s building. A hall-like structure with nave and aisles of almost equal widths, slender piers and some large clear-glazed windows make for a light, spacious interior. Richly decorated timber roofs ornamented with carved angels have an impact as does the famous medieval Doom, or Day of Judgement wall painting over a high chancel arch. This sophisticated work of art, the largest of its kind in England, was paintedover at the Reformation and rediscovered and restored in the 19th century.

Our attention was drawn to the many fine quality furnishings including monuments, misericords, heraldic hatchments, metalwork and woodwork fittings, embroidery, a 500 year old church chest and a recently donated Book of Remembrance. Currently an appeal for funds to restore the organ is half way off its target; it was originally donated by George III to Salisbury Cathedral and transferred in the 1870s. A mace bearing stand serves as a reminder of the church’s official role in the civic life of the city; Mayor making services are held here. A continuing tradition of music making and bell ringing is just part of the church’s active engagement with its community. We were very grateful to Sally Vaughan for her informative and enjoyable tour – inspiring repeat visits in years ahead.


Tour of 5 Norman churches on Saxon foundatations led by Edward Buchan

Saturday 2nd September 2017by Caroline Keevil

We started at a lovely Coffee and Cake Shop next door to the Church of St John the Baptist in Colerne, a hill village, a feeling of space and air all around it.

Richard Walmsley was an early benefactor, there are fragments of a Saxon Cross mounted on the North Wall, something to do with St Aldhelm on his journey to Canterbury. The arcades were built in 1195 and New College (Oxford) are involved 1389. The Nave, superb ashlar work in Perpendicular style (Woodruffe) and tower were built in 1450.

Notable were the Medieval Gargoyles, a carved panel on the North Wall, a very pretty 1450 West Window, the Somerset-style tower with a one-handed clock a la Westminster Abbey and by the chancel arch a stone head of Queen Victoria looking across at one of Gladstone. In the South Wall of the Chancel there is a C20th stained glass window of beautiful clarity made in Box dedicated to a villager.

To St Christopher, Ditteridge…. literally ditch and ridge because of the proximity to The Fosseway, where John Ayers the vicar showed us a 3000 BC arrow head as proof of the Saxon foundation and described the 1097 ceremony of carving four crosses into the corners of the Norman building - these carvings are still there. The Rood steps beside the pulpit would have continued up and round so the priest could read the gospel high up within the Chancel Arch. The pulpit is a strange 1900s curved cast concrete affair carved with a triangle and circle design taken from Ruskin’s Stones of Venice.

The encaustic floor tiles in the Chancel are from Hereford Cathedral. St John the Baptist Colerne: Carved Stone

Panel on the North Wall

St John the Baptist Colerne: C20th stained glass window


The Architect E W Godwin lifted the Norman porch in the 1900s and the wall painting of St Christopher originally opposite the porch has been replicated on canvas by John Ayers and a local artist. The Millenium organ case was made from a local oak tree as old as the church. We loved this church and John was an exciting guide.

Downhill to St Thomas a Becket, Box. I got muddled here, it is a big busy muddling church.

Start with the dedication to Becket 1170 and the Hazelbury Chapel a corner on the North wall which was

originally a C12th enclosed Becket Chapel. The core of the church is C14th with a beautiful simply carved chancel arch. The North Aisle is 1713 and the South Aisle 1834. The West Window is 1991 by Potter of Bath featuring Becket and Henry II.Behind the stone carved Reredos was a hidden storage area with a lovely carved diaper pattern on the East Wall. For me the stand out here was the Speke Memorial on the South Wall.

A scrumptious lunch at The Methuen Arms in Corsham was followed by our visit to St Bartholomew’s Church a Grade 1 Church which sits beside Corsham Court home of the Methuen family.

Again a Saxon foundation, Norman

St Thomas a Becket Box: Stone carved diaper pattern

St Thomas a Becket Box: Speke Memorial

St Christopher, Ditteridge


arcades, C13th South Aisle, C14th North Aisle, C15th Lady Chapel dedicated to the Fullers of Neston with the enormous tomb of Thomas Tropenell of Great Chalfield builder of the chapel, C19th Methuen family chapel on the North Aisle with the alabaster tomb of painter Lady Eleanor Methuen. The Chancel rebuilt in 1874 by Street subtly out of linewith the nave and a new tower and steeple over the choir vestry. On the South a 1928 copy of the C15th Rood Screen on the North. A superb East window by Kempe.

In the church yard, dominated by many table-top tombs, there is a pyramid stone purported to be designed by a man who did not want

St Bartholomew’s Church Corsham

his widow to dance on his grave and the 1753 tomb of Sarah Jarvis who ‘sometime before her death she had fresh teeth’

St James, North Wraxall was clothed internally in scaffolding but Lord King gave a spirited account of the Church and of the Norman origins of the area. Most notable is the Norman South doorway with human head imposts and guardian dragons, scallop capitals, chevron band and pellets.

Thereafter C13th. The North Aisle is a Methuen Chapel with a painted ceiling and the vast marble tomb of Paul Methuen 1837 by Westmacott. The reredos is a strange disconcerting painting redolent of King’s College Cambridge in shape and frame but not by Reubens and so wrong. A small Grade 1 Church. Tea and cake and home.

Thank you to Edward Buchan for organising and leading this journey round these churches of North West Wiltshire.

St James North Wraxall: Norman Arch


Wiltshire Historic Churches Trust Treasurer’s report

For the year ended 31st March 2017by Peter Smith, Hon. Treasurer

The net assets of the Trust stood at £295,000 as at 31st March 2017 (£249k, 2016).

The gross income of the Trust for the year was just over £94,000 (£96k, 2016).

The Friemds made a profit of £23,950 for the year (£26k, 2016). This comprised £14,170 from Membership Fees and Gift Aid; £6010 (after expenses) from fund raising activities; £2350 from donations; £735 from ongoing sales of Brian Woodruffe’s book “The Parish Churches of Wiltshire”; and £685 from the sale of Christmas Cards.

The Trust’s other siginicant income was raised by Ride & Stride £53,000; Investments £10,100 and Parish Donations £4,500.

The WHCT gave 30 grants totalling £58,150 for the year to 31st March 2017.

Full details of the Audited Accounts for the year ended 31st March 2017 are available for viewing online at the Charity Commission website (www.charitycommission.gov.uk) by entering the WHCT’s Registered Charity Number 1075598.

Doom painting at St. Thomas and St. Edmund, Salisbury

Thank you to all those who supplied images for this newsletter - Brian Woodruffe, Glyn Bridges, Charles Graham, Nigel Jackson and John Price.


Legacies

Please remember the Wiltshire Historic Churches Trust in your Will. The Registered Charity number of the WHCT is 1075598.

St Mary and St Nicholas, Wilton

Detail of graffiti lit by torch at St Mary the Virgin, Calstone Wellington

the friends of wiltshire churches · winter lecture series. “the urns and sepulchres of...

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