Friends Church Tour – East Knoyle and its neighbours

Our next tour of Wiltshire churches will take place on Saturday 7th September 2024, led by Michael Hodges.

The tour will start at 10:30 am at St Mary’s, East Knoyle, SP3 6AE and will be followed by:

St Michael’s, Mere (11:15)

St Peter’s, Stourton (12:00)

Lunch (see pub suggestions below)

All Saints, Maiden Bradley (14:30)

St Peter’s & St Paul’s, Longbridge Deverill (15:15)

Details of these different churches are below. If you would like to join in, please email jeremygroom@outlook.com. As usual we will collect £20 per head on the door.

Itinerary

10:30 St Mary, East Knoyle

Church a mixture of styles; Perpendicular west tower; “The chancel ought to be the purpose of a visit from every Wiltshire tourist” (Pevsner) – white plaster decoration of 1639; Blomfield reredos; stained glass by Comper, Wailes, Holiday and Reyntiens.

11:15 St Michael, Mere

“One of the great churches of Wiltshire” (Betjeman); pinnacled tower; mainly decorated with some Perpendicular; spectacular Perpendicular rood screen with 1880s rood loft; parclose chapel screens; stalls with misericords; 17th century benches; 15th century alabaster panel; 14th century stained glass panels; pre-Raphaelite window by Powell; brasses of 1398 to Sir John Betteshorne and of 1426 to Sir John Berkeley.

12:00 St Peter, Stourton

Small Perpendicular Church; good setting at entrance to Stourhead; 15th century glass fragments; excellent monuments – lady of c1400, effigies of 5th Lord Stourton and wife, of Henry Hoare obit 1725, of Henry Hoare obit 1625 and of Hester Colt Hoare obit 1785.

14:30 All Saints, Maiden Bradley

Medieval; Jacobean woodwork; 12th century marble front: Victorian glass; 1728 monument by Rysbrack with reclining effigy to Sir Edward Seymour, sometime Speaker of the House of Commons (Pevsner – “extremely elegant”).

15:15 St Peter and St Paul, Longbridge Deverill

Mainly Victorianised Perpendicular exterior; Norman and 14th century arcades; chancel and chapels of 1860; Norman font; c1700 panelling in south aisle from Hatfield; 18thc west gallery; F.C. Eden chapel screens; 15th century tomb chest from Hill Deverill; tablet of 1580 to Sir John Thynne;  19th century Thynne monuments; 1887 Thynne monument by Gilbert; 19th-20th stained glass by Kempe and others; F.C. Eden war memorial.

Attendance – please email Jeremy Groom