Description

CHIPPENHAM

ST97SW HARDENHUISH LANE
930-1/1/39 Church of St Nicholas
22/06/78

II*

Parish Church. c1779. By John Wood the Younger, of Bath.
Limestone ashlar with slate roof.
STYLE: Classical.
PLAN: rectangular.
EXTERIOR: square central entrance tower flanked by wider stair
turrets at the west end; splayed bay to the apse. A
balustraded parapet surrounds the building except the tower.
Semicircular-arched windows with Y tracery to the 2nd stage of
the 3-stage tower. A flight of steps flanked by cast-iron
railings leads up to double doors of 3 panels with a moulded
architrave and bracketed pediment, below a clock and tall
window, similar windows to the returns. A stepped string
course and modillion cornice support an octagonal belfry. This
has 4 semicircular bell-openings flanked by engaged columns
supporting an entablature and octagonal-domed lead roof, ball
finial and weather vane. The tower is flanked by stair turrets
with semicircular arched niches below sunk panels; to the
sides similar features are glazed.
The nave has Venetian windows with balustraded aprons; 2 to
the south side, 2 to the north side except one toward the
front is without side lights. The apse, flanked by lead
rainwater heads and downpipes, has semicircular-arched
recesses.
INTERIOR: not inspected but reported to have detached columns
to the Venetian windows and carved garlands to a frieze;
painted Lord's Prayer, Commandments and Creed to the apse.
The originally projected centralised plan with polygonal apse,
side walls each with a Venetian window and a polygonal west
entrance, was not carried out.
(The Buildings of England: Pevsner N & Cherry B: Wiltshire 2nd
Edition: London: 1967-1975: 264).

Listing NGR: ST9096674748

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17544328

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.

Recommended Books

• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair