All Saints Church, Alton Priors

All Saints Church
Church of All Saints
LocationAlton Priors, Wiltshire, England
Coordinates51°21′29″N 1°50′40″W / 51.35806°N 1.84444°W / 51.35806; -1.84444
Built12th century
WebsiteChurches Conservation Trust
Listed Building – Grade II*
Designated27 May 1964[1]
Reference no.1364710
All Saints Church, Alton Priors is located in Wiltshire
All Saints Church, Alton Priors
Location of All Saints Church in Wiltshire

All Saints Church in Alton Priors, Wiltshire, England, dates from the 12th century. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a Grade II* listed building,[1] and is now in the care of The Churches Conservation Trust.[2] It was declared redundant on 28 July 1972,[3] and was vested in the Trust on 12 December 1973.[4]

History and description

The church was built of limestone and malmstone rubble in the 12th century, but has undergone several major refurbishments since. The only parts of the 12th-century building that remain in place are the imposts of the chancel arch, with simple ornamentation. Fragments from another 12th-century arch are on display in the church.[5]

The presence in the floor of the church of trapdoors giving access to Sarsen stones,[6] and the presence of the 1,700-year-old yew tree in the churchyard,[7] suggest it was a sacred site long before the church was built.

In 1491, landowner John Button bequeathed lead to roof part of the church.[8] In the 18th century the nave, two-stage west tower and chancel were all replaced.[1] The church contains Jacobean stall fronts, and [9] The three bells are from the 18th century and are said to be unringable.[10]

Lead was stolen from the south side of the nave roof in 2016, but funds were quickly raised by the community to provide a temporary replacement.[11]

The church has no permanent electricity supply.[11] The churchyard is not owned by the Churches Conservation Trust and is maintained by the parochial council and volunteers.[11]

Monuments

On the north side of the chancel, a 16th-century tomb-chest surmounted by a monumental brass commemorates landowner William Button (died 1591), great-grandson of John.[2][8][7] Pevsner calls the monument "conceitism at its best ... the deceased rises from his tomb, his naked body turned to the background where the gates of heaven have opened and the angel with the last trump appears ... plenty of inscriptions".[12]

Services and events

The church was used for three services a year as of 2011,[7] but by 2020 there were no regular services.[11] Local volunteers raise funds by holding a music festival in June each year, featuring the "Music for Awhile" ensemble.[11]

Parish

Alton Priors was anciently a chapelry of Overton (now West Overton),[8] its church being some five miles south of Overton church by road.[13] In 1913, Alton Priors was detached from Overton vicarage and attached to the adjacent rectory of Alton Barnes to form the parish of Alton Barnes with Alton Priors.[13] St Mary at Alton Barnes is now the parish church, and is one of sixteen in the Vale of Pewsey group.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Historic England, "Church of All Saints, Alton (1364710)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 27 June 2013
  2. ^ a b All Saints, Alton Priors, Churches Conservation Trust, retrieved 31 March 2011
  3. ^ "No. 45736". The London Gazette. 28 July 1972. p. 9040.
  4. ^ Diocese of Salisbury: All Schemes (PDF), Church Commissioners/Statistics, Church of England, 2011, p. 1, retrieved 31 March 2011
  5. ^ "All Saints, Alton Priors, Wiltshire". The Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland. King's College London. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  6. ^ "All Saints (Alton Priors)". Megalithic Portal. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  7. ^ a b c "All Saints, Alton Priors". The Vale of Pewsey Team. Archived from the original on 4 October 2011. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  8. ^ a b c D A Crowley, ed. (1980), "Parishes: Overton", A History of the County of Wiltshire: Downton Hundred; Elstub and Everleigh Hundred, vol. 11, London, pp. 181–203, retrieved 14 November 2016{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  9. ^ Analysis of and speculation about the memorial plaque to William Button: "The mystery plaque of Alton priors". Crop circle wisdom. Archived from the original on 6 October 2010. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  10. ^ "Alton Priors". Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d e "Alton Priors, All Saints: Church Plan" (PDF). Altons and Honeystreet. Churches Conservation Trust. 12 August 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  12. ^ Pevsner, Nikolaus; Cherry, Bridget (revision) (1975) [1963]. Wiltshire. The Buildings of England (2nd ed.). Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 88. ISBN 0-14-0710-26-4.
  13. ^ a b "No. 28728". The London Gazette. 13 June 1913. pp. 4208–4211.
  14. ^ "Team Churches". Vale of Pewsey Churches. Archived from the original on 15 August 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2021.