Description

ST 96 NE MELKSHAM WITHOUT CORSHAM ROAD
(east side) Shaw

1/181 Christ Church

II*

Anglican Parish church. 1837, chapel rebuilt 1905. By C. E.
Ponting at a cost of £20,000 paid for by Charles Awdry. Squared
rubblestone with ashlar buttresses. Westmorland slate roof over
timber framed clerestory. Consists of 5 bay nave with north-west
tower, short transepts and apsidal east end. Arts and Crafts
Gothic. Perpendicular-style door at base of tower has decorated
spandrels and polygonal pilasters with statues of Angel Gabriel and
Mary above. 4 stage tower has plain buttresses carried to top
with life-size statues of saints and prophets on top of each of 8
buttresses. Two 2-light Gothic windows above string course of top
stage. 4 carved rainwater spouts are winged-beasts. Pierced
embattled parapet with oak shingled needle spire. West window in
late Gothic style with good stained glass by H. Wilkinson, a 1914-
18 War Memorial. Square vestry to south west corner has hipped
slate roof and raked buttresses. Nave has 5 Decorated-style
windows to aisles, separated by pilasters. Clerestory is
timber framed with roughcase panels and four 3-light square headed
windows. South transept has rose window and 2 lancets. Apsidal
east end has 4 tall 2-light Perpendicular-style windows separated
by pilasters. Decorated lead fleche over crossing.
Interior: Porch below west tower has ribbed vaulted ceiling on
corbels. Nave and clerestory are oak timber-framed with chamfered
aisle posts and arched braced arcade. Roof has arched braced tie
beam trusses with queen posts and decorated spandrels. All
windows have square-headed openings. Carved oak screen encloses
chancel on 3 sides and is especially elaborate on nave-side. Fine
reredos of carved oak with statues of The Apostles in niches,
with Christ in the centre and St. Michael above, by Messrs. Martyn
and Co., of Cheltenham. Sedilia and piscina. Brass candelabra
from Melksham St. Michael's. Carved oak choir stalls. Nave pews
are Victorian and from earlier chapel. Good stained glass of late
C19 and early C20 in aisle windows depict saints and are memorials
to members of the Awdry and Steadman families. 1908 watercolour by
John Creswell, at west end of south aisle, depicts interior as
rebuilt by Ponting.
(N. Pevsner and B. Cherry, Buildings of England:
Wiltshire, 1975)
Particularly good history of this church is framed and hung in west
end of nave.

Listing NGR: ST8886365720

This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 26 October 2017.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17543572

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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