Description

SO 9005 BISLEY-WITH-LYPIATT CHURCH HILL, Bisley Village (west end)

13/24 Church of All Saints

28.6.60

GV II*

Parish church. C13 and C14; extensive 1862 rebuilding by Rev. W.H. Lowder (possibly with G.F. Bodley's assistance). Ashlar and coursed rubble limestone; stone slate roof. Nave with north and south aisles, south porch, west tower; chancel with north vestry. C19 restored moulded pointed south doorway with Purbeck marble shafts and delicate foliage capitals. Parapet gabled porch with Early English style arch, short shafts with foliage terminals. Windows with Decorated tracery to aisles all appear C19, possibly copying some original windows. Square recesses to clerestory with alternating cinquefoil windows and blocked pointed openings. North doorway in gabled projection. Bold diagonal buttresses to C14 three-stage tower, south larger incorporating stair turret with pointed arched doorway. Three-light west window with reticulated tracery set in same recess as moulded pointed arched doorway below with quatrefoils in spandrels; 2-light middle stage window. Two- light belfry openings with stone louvres. Octagonal broach spire with small lucarnes to cardinal faces at base. Chancel mostly early C14 with 3-light Decorated east window; cinquefoil headed north window, 2-light south window with Decorated tracery. Large C14 cusped mortuary recess on south side; stone chancel gutters. Vestry with lean-to roof on north side. Paved walkway around church has many late C17 and C18 brass memorial plates. Interior: limewashed with ashlar dressings. Four-bay C19 nave arcades, north with octagonal piers. Nave roof also C19 with cusped windbracing. Various corbel heads from original roof reset in north aisle. Tall pointed tower arch; pointed doorway set high above, lower part of doors having 2 quatrefoil openings. Wide C19 chancel arch with carved angels playing musical instruments forming terminals of hoodmould; incised painted decorative band above. Part of rood loft stair survives, passing through wall adjoining south of chancel arch. C19 tiled chancel floor; four bay roof with painted panelling, arched braced traces supported on finely carved corbels. Rere-arches to all chancel windows, east with Early English shafts and head terminals; cinquefoil cusping to rere-arch above south chancel window with sedile below. Incised decoration to reredos with central cinquefoil and 4 trefoil-headed side panels; triple Purbeck marble shafts. Double piscina in south chancel wall appears to be C19, reusing 2-light traceried window as elaboration. Octagonal stone pulpit with painted decoration, marble columns and deeply undercut capitals is possibly by G.F. Bodley. Norman stone font bowl with rich basket and cable- moulded ornament incorporating fleurs-de-lys stands on Norman-style C19 base, also with very convincingly unsophisticated carving. Below one bay of south arcade is C13 effigy of knight on reconstructed chest base, effigy moved from external mortuary recess. Many medieval coffin lids set in north aisle wall. Various other fragments scattered throughout church, most resulting from C19 restoration. Tower contains many carvings from original. nave roof and many late C17 or C18 brass memorial plates. Stone tablet with fluted pilasters and pulvinated frieze set very high up. Good stained glass to east window by Clayton and Bell. Royal arms of George III above tower arch. The spire forms a prominent landmark in the surrounding flat uplands. (N.M. Herbert, 'Bisley' in V.C.H. Glos. xi, 1976, pp 4-40; M.A. Rudd, Historical Records of Bisley with Lypiatt, 1937; and D. Verey, Cotswold Churches, 1976 and Gloucestershire: The Cotswolds, 1979)

Listing NGR: SO9036705932

External Links

• Wikidata Q17538320

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Recommended Books

• 
  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
• 
  Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings
• 
  [(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)