St Mary's Church, Chute Forest

St Mary's Church
LocationChute Forest, Wiltshire, England
Coordinates51°16′01″N 1°33′30″W / 51.26694°N 1.55833°W / 51.26694; -1.55833
Built1870-1871
ArchitectJohn Loughborough Pearson
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official nameChurch of St Mary
Designated8 May 1972[1]
Reference no.1364574
St Mary's Church, Chute Forest is located in Wiltshire
St Mary's Church, Chute Forest
Location of St Mary's Church in Wiltshire

St Mary's Church in Chute Forest, Wiltshire, England, was built between 1870 and 1871 and consecrated in 1875.[2] It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building,[1] and is now a redundant church in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.[3] It was declared redundant on 23 August 1972, and was vested in the Trust on 26 March 1974.[4]

The church was built of knapped flint, brick and tile with a pyramid spire, by John Loughborough Pearson for the Fowle family.[3] At the time there were 188 parishioners.[5] It was consecrated by the Bishop of Salisbury on 15 August 1872.[6] The nave and aisles are spanned by a single roof.[3] There are encaustic tiles on the raised floor of the chancel.[1]

The roof is of open trussed timber rafters.[2][1] There is a three-stage tower topped with the spire which is a highly visible from the surrounding area.[1][7] The church had six bells cast in 1871 by Mears & Stainbank of Whitechapel Bell Foundry. In 1976 these were removed and rehung in the Church of St Nicholas in Chute.[2][8] The west window includes stained glass by Clayton and Bell a partnership of John Richard Clayton (London, 1827–1913) and Alfred Bell (Silton, Dorset, 1832–95).[9] The west window has glass also from 1914 but in a different style.[1] There is a wall tablet to Frank G. Fowle who died in 1942.[1]

The parish was merged with that of Chute in 1954. The Chute Forest church closed in 1972.[2] An annual service is still held at the church.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Historic England. "Church of St Mary, Chute Forest (1364574)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d Baggs, A. P.; Freeman, J.; Smith, C.; Stevenson, J. H.; Williamson, E. (1999). "Chute Forest". In Crowley, D. A. (ed.). A History of the County of Wiltshire, Volume 16. Victoria County History. University of London. pp. 120–126. Retrieved 13 October 2023 – via British History Online.
  3. ^ a b c St Mary's Church, Chute Forest, Wiltshire. Churches Conservation Trust. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  4. ^ Diocese of Salisbury: All Schemes (PDF). Church Commissioners/Statistics. Church of England. 2011. p. 3. Retrieved 2 April 2011.
  5. ^ "Survey and Appraisal of Chute and Chute Forest Parishes. 1984" (PDF). The Chutes. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  6. ^ "Ecclesiastical Intelligence - St Mary's Chute Forest" (PDF). Wiltshire Online Parish Clerks. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  7. ^ "The Chutes Village Design Statement" (PDF). Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  8. ^ Baggs, A.P.; Freeman, J.; Stevenson, J.H.; Williamson, E. "Chute In: A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 16, Kinwardstone Hundred". British History Online. Victoria County History. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  9. ^ Brown, Sarah (1994). Stained Glass – an Illustrated History. Bracken Books. p. 132. ISBN 1-85891-157-5.
  10. ^ "Closed Churches". Savernake Team. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
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