Garrison Church of St George, Bulford Camp, Wiltshire

Summary

A garrison and First World War memorial church of 1920-7 designed by Blount and Williamson of Salisbury.

Description

A garrison and First World War memorial church of 1920-27 by G.L.W. Blount & Williamson of Salisbury.

MATERIALS: constructed of coursed, rock-faced Bath stone with ashlar quoins and dressings. It has a graduated Precelly slate roof to the nave and the aisles have a blocking course pierced by capped buttresses. There is a moulded ashlar plinth to all elevations.

PLAN: a cruciform plan with a seven-bay aisled nave. The church has a crossing tower with a pyramidal spire, choir and sanctuary. There is a vestry in the south-east angle. The west end has a single-storey entrance flanked by eight aisle bays to form a narthex.

EXTERIOR: in the Perpendicular style, the church has a buttressed west front and the central bay stands forward with a central, moulded recessed entrance and pointed two-leaf doors approached by steps, flanked by two-light traceried windows. Above is a large wheel window. Buttressed outer bays each have lancets and a flat-arched, three-light traceried window with quatrefoils above. Both door and nave apexes have stone cross terminals, and the bays to both sides of the door have embattled parapets. The north and south aisles each have a blind western bay and then each buttressed bay has a large five-light traceried window. The bays next to the crossing have entrance porches. The transepts each have a small wheel window and two lancets below. At ground floor level, the south transept has two flat-arched, three-light windows. The north transept has three lancets. In the angle of the north transept/chancel is a vestry with a flat-arched, three-light window, door to the left and pyramidal roof. The east front has a similar 5-light traceried window to the aisles. Above the plinth is a foundation stone inscribed: THIS STONE WAS LAID BY/ F. M. LORD METHUEN/ G.C.B.. G.C.M.G.. G.C.V.O../ ON WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 13TH 1920. In the angle of the north transept/chancel is a circular stair turret with a conical roof. The lead rainwater heads, upper parts of pipes and gutters have bas-relief figures, animals and emblems.

INTERIOR: ashlar Bath stone with an oak hammer-beam roof wagon roof. The crossing roof is stone-vaulted with a central carved dove boss and angel corbels. The nave has pointed-arch arcading with right-angled pointed-arches to each aisle bay. The north transept houses a small side chapel with a band loft over. The south transept houses a small side chapel with organ loft over. There is an oak-block floor throughout apart from the chancel which has Carter & Co (now Poole Pottery) tiles; terracotta with black and blue tile bands with inset tiles having inset bas-relief rectangles depicting whales and pelican in piety coloured blue and white and orange and white. The east window is by T.W. Camm of Smethwick, and was donated by the Royal Artillery Association as a First World War Memorial. It depicts the Risen Christ flanked by saints protagonist with panels of heraldic work beneath. Upper foiled roundels depict the regimental badge and cap badges. The west window, in vibrant colours, depicts Christ in Glory set among the heavens with sun, moon and stars and was purchased by subscriptions from Officers' Messes and Garrison Units in 1933. Officers of the Garrison purchased the side chapel's windows depicting St Helena and St Ursula in 1936. Further windows display regimental crests and insignia including one for the Royal Engineers in the south aisle and the Royal Army Medical Corps in the north aisle. The oak pews, fixtures and fittings are mostly given as memorials. The oak pulpit is richly carved and inscribed: IN LOVING MEM/ORY OF MAJOR GENERAL/ F.D.V WING C.B : R.A/ KILLED IN ACTION AT/ LOOS OCT 2 1915 AGED 54. Wing had been commanding the 12th Division of the Royal Artillery and is buried in Noeux-Les-Mines Communal Cemetery, France. A polygonal stone font has a stone and marble clustered column base, and was given by the Bath Stone Company. On the west face of the nave end wall, in the vestibule, is inscribed: IN MEMORY/ OF THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR/ THE SUM OF EIGHT HUNDRED POUNDS COLLECTED BY/ THE REV. H.M. WEBB-PEPLOE, O.B.E., C.F./ WAS GIVEN TOWARDS THE BUILDING OF THIS CHURCH/ A.D. 1923. The organ is by Sweetland of Bath.

Pursuant to s.1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (‘the Act’) it is declared that the modern fixtures and fittings are not of special architectural or historic interest.

This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 21 August 2017.

History

The land for Bulford Camp was purchased by the War Office in 1898. In the beginning it was used mainly for cavalry training and was a mixture of permanent buildings and open areas for tented seasonal camps. It was expanded during the First World War and was particularly associated with New Zealand troops; a nearby chalk-cut Kiwi is a permanent reminder of their presence. Sketch designs for a church at Bulford Camp were under consideration in 1913, but not progressed due to the outbreak of war. Following the armistice it was decided that the church should also serve as a memorial to the fallen, and Blount and Williamson of Salisbury were engaged as architects. The foundation stone was laid by Field Marshall Lord Methuen on 13 October 1920 and the nave dedicated in 1923. Increased costs caused building works to cease until 1926. The building was completed in 1927, and dedicated to St George by the Bishop of Salisbury on 27 November of that year.

During the inter-war period many of the temporary camp buildings at Bulford were rebuilt in permanent fabric. Post-war the camp has been subject to almost continual rebuilding and the current buildings are of many phases. In the C21 Bulford is undergoing further development to accommodate the withdrawal of British troops from Germany.

Reasons for Listing

The Garrison Church of St George, Bulford, dating from 1920-7 and designed by Blount and Williamson, is listed at Grade II, for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural interest: a skilful perpendicular design, well-massed and with good detailing;
* Historic interest: as an eloquent witness to the tragic impacts of world events on this community, and the sacrifices it has made in the conflicts of the C20;
* Intactness: it is intact including a complete original interior with well-crafted fittings including good quality joinery, cast-iron fitments and tiles by Carter & Co (now Poole Pottery), and an east window is by T.W. Camm of Smethwick.

External Links

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.