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St Mary’s Church, Wingfield

Wingfield, Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire

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The Parish Church of St Mary, Wingfield was first noted in 1313 and belonged in the middle ages to the Abbey of Keynsham until its dissolution in 1539. The abbey had held the manor of Wingfield from at least 1220. Of the medieval church, the 15th century west tower and the chancel arch survive. The rest of the church may be of a 17th century rebuilding, with a further makeover in 1732 when the nave was made with a Georgian round-arched window, divided by a mullion. The east window of the chancel, in perpendicular style, is of the 19th century. In 1861 a transept was added to the north to hold the vestry and an organ that was the gift of the 5th Earl of Stowe.

The tower is in the perpendicular style, of three stages, battlemented with tall thin pinnacles at each corner and a stair turret with its own battlements. The rest of the church is of squared coursed stone, with limestone tiles on the roof of the nave, south porch and boiler house, but Welsh slate on the chancel.

The church is listed Grade II*

The interior has coved panelled ceilings; that of the chancel has bas-relief rosettes in the centre of each panel. The two 1861 arches on the left open into the vestry and organ chamber and match the style of the earlier south window; the window of the transept is also in the same style, perhaps the re-used original of the north wall. The centre line of the nave does not match that of the chancel arch -perhaps the rebuilding gained a little extra space for seating on the south side. The pews have doors like Georgian box-pews, but have ‘gothick’ ogee-arched ends that terminate in ornate carved crockets. They were made in 1843-4. The wall monument of the left commemorates the Rev Edward Spencer, put up by his pupils; the larger classical monument at the east end of the opposite wall is that of John Bayly and dated 1655.