The present stone building known as St. Andrew’s Church, Chippenham, was erected between 1100 and 1200. It stands in the Market Place at the top of the High Street, where there has been a church since Anglo-Saxon times.

Introduction

Over the centuries, the building has been partly demolished, moved, and rebuilt, ending with the addition of the North Aisle in the 19th century. The building seats up to 500 people using chair seating, which gives us great flexibility in how the church is laid out.

To the Norman chancel, nave and south aisle was added the west tower, which probably included a spire, at about the beginning of the fourteenth century. Later in the same century the north and south chancel chapels (now the clergy vestry and Lady chapel, respectively) were built. In 1442 the south chancel chapel and the upper parts of the tower and spire were rebuilt, thanks to Walter Lord Hungerford, then lord of the manor, whose coat of arms was included on the exterior of the west wall and whose name also lives on in the town’s Hungerford Road.

This was soon to be followed by the addition of the south nave chapel (now in use as a baptistry) in 1485. However, by 1633 there were signs of collapse so the tower and spire, except for the tower base stage, had to be taken down and rebuilt again, the height being reduced by 15 feet (4.6 metres). Incorporated into the rebuild was an additional coat of arms commemorating Sir Francis Popham who contributed 40 to the total cost of 320 and who is also remembered in the road named Popham Court. The north wall of the nave was rebuilt at least twice, in 1655 and again in 1801.

During the eighteenth century flat ceilings were inserted but these were removed during a complete restoration in 1875-78 under the direction of local architects, Messrs. John and Richard Darley. At this time the chancel was largely rebuilt and extended 20 feet (6.1 metres) to the east, including a replacement clergy vestry; a lofty chancel arch replaced the low Norman one which was relocated to the south side of the clergy vestry; a clerestory was added to the nave, and the north aisle and organ chamber were built. Also at this time repairs to roof and walls were carried out. In 1907 the south nave chapel was refurbished as a baptistry and the choir vestry was added.

St Katherine’s Chapel (The Baptistry)

In the west pier of the arch leading from the Baptistry into the south aisle (the pillar on your right as you turn into the Baptistry from the aisle) are the doorway and stairs which used to lead to the Chapel of the Fraternitie of St. Katherine. The piscina, which was used by the priest before the Reformation for washing out the vessels used in the Mass, from that chapel can still be seen high up on the south wall.

During cleaning of the stonework, traces of Latin inscriptions were found on the walls but, as they were under plaster, it has not yet been possible to uncover them completely. The lower east window in the Baptistry contains stained glass by Burlisson and Crylls. The window was uncovered during the major rebuilding of the church in 1875-78 and the glass was inserted in 1907 when this area became the Baptistry. The figures in the glass combine the present and original uses of this area of the church. On the left is St. Katherine of Alexandria, the patron saint of weavers and spinners, together with the symbol of the wheel on which she was tortured and which we now know as a “Catherine Wheel”. In the centre of the window is a portrayal of Christ and “Suffer little children to come unto me”. On the right is St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children. The three children in the tub illustrate the mediaeval legend about St. Nicholas, then Bishop of Myra, restoring to life children who had been killed and were being salted down for meat in a time of great famine in the fourth century.

The Wilson Window
The Wilson Window

The striking stained glass window in the south wall of the Baptistry (above) is the work of Christopher Whall and commemorates three brothers killed in the First World War. These three young officers were the sons of Dr. Mervyn Seppings Wilson of 19 St. Mary Street behind the church. The principal figures in this window are the four archangels who minister to the sorrowful, and below them are impressions of war scenes.

The Exterior

In the tower of the church you can see the original west doorway produced in the Decorated style. On the face of the tower are some very weather-worn coats of arms. The large central one is that of Sir Francis Popham. Further up on the tower are three Hungerford shields. The one in the middle, with the Order of the Garter surrounding it, belonged to Walter, Lord Hungerford. Above these shields is the modern clock face, which is considerably larger than it appears from the ground. In the 1970s it was intended that the replacement for the former glass face should be a single circle of perspex. Instead it was necessary to install two semicircles with a horizontal join that has become more noticeable with age.

The south side of the church is typical 15th century Perpendicular in style – the embattled parapets with crocketed (ornamented on the inclined sides) pinnacles and the friezes adorned with carved figures of angels, animals and grotesques. The south doorway, which provides an emergency exit from the Baptistry, and the sun-dial above it to the left are also 15th century.

The outside of the old Norman window can be seen in the north wall of the chancel and the old Decorated chancel east window in the east wall of the clergy vestry is still visible.

The churchyard has some 19th century tombs. Burials before this time tended to be beneath the church itself or were, at least, commemorated within the church. It was the mediaeval custom for people to be buried beneath churches. The more important the family, the nearer to the altar its members were placed.

On the far side of the path is what is known as the “Old Churchyard”. Its gravestones now form the central path and it has been maintained since 1966 by the District Council as a garden. In spite of its name, this churchyard is actually later than the one round the church. It was originally the orchard of the vicarage. That vicarage is now St. Mary House. The initials GL on it refer to Gilbert Lake who was the vicar responsible for the 18th century restoration and extension of the building. In 1826, St. Mary House was exchanged for the Old Vicarage on the opposite side of St. Mary Street beyond the east end of the church. As the churchyard was becoming full at that time, Mr. E. F. Maitland, the new owner and one of Chippenham’s Members of Parliament, sold the orchard to the vicar and churchwardens and it was consecrated as a churchyard on 30th September 1826. The present vicarage, still in St. Mary Street, was built in 1966.

The North Aisle

The bay at the chancel end of the north aisle is dominated by the superb 18th century organ case.

By its side there is a door leading to the choir vestry, which is panelled in oak with cupboards to match. On the wall above the door in the choir vestry is a preserved reredos – a painting or decorative panel normally behind the altar. This particular 19th century reredos was formerly behind the high altar.

The memorial window in the organ bay is the work of Burlisson and Crylls in 1882. It shows St. Matthew flanked by angels and, above them, representations of the four corporal works of mercy (St. Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 21, verses 35-36). A second memorial window in the aisle shows Joshua, St. Patrick and King David; this window was made by Lavers and Westlake in 1900.

Just to the west of the organ case is the Votive Candle Stand. This was acquired from Gloucester Cathedral in the 1980s and is used by individuals to commemorate the departed and to remember loved ones, living or departed, in prayer. A toilet and kitchen area was added to the north aisle in 2012.

Prior to the installation of kitchen and toilet.

The North Aisle as it looks now.

Also in the north aisle is a very remarkable 13th century vestment chest. Vestments are the robes worn by clergy during a service. This still has the original pin hinges and is absolutely unique. It is the only one in Britain which is carved both with geometric patterns and – on the front panel – with scenes from the Mediaeval Bestiary. The subjects were all of immense symbolic and religious significance to 13th century worshippers. You can see the Lamb of God between two doves bearing olive branches; a pair of unicorns; a fox preaching to fowls; a pair of leopards; a hound chasing a stag; and an owl mobbed by small birds. At the time, few people could read and it was therefore common to use pictures to tell people things.

On the wall of the north aisle are the first four Stations of the Cross. Stations of the Cross are sequential points of focus in the church for penitential worship during the period of Lent prior to Good Friday. They represent steps in the Passion narrative leading to Christ’s crucifixion. In Roman Catholic places of worship there are often as many as fourteen Stations. From east to west, these are: (1) Jesus condemned to death; (2) Jesus takes up his cross; (3) Simon of Cyrene helps to carry Jesus’ cross; (4) Jesus consoles the women of Jerusalem. The other two permanently visible stations are on the wall of the south aisle.

The Chancel Screen

The modern screen and the tablets below it were erected in 1921 as a war memorial to parishioners who died in the First World War; they were financed by public subscription. The screen was originally intended to have a rood (Christ on the Cross – in this case flanked by His Mother and St. John) on the top but insufficient money was raised for this. The screen was designed by F. E. Howard of Oxford and the work was carried out by Messrs. Mowbray.

The screen carries many coats of arms. These represent the ecclesiastical, local and regimental connections with this church. The coat of arms on the left of the west side is that of the Diocese of Bristol, and that on the right is that of Christ Church, Oxford (Cardinal Wolsey).

The following photograph shows a close-up of the central section of the vaulting in the top of the screen. It shows the crossed keys of St. Peter (which can also be seen in the west window of the porch) and the diagonal cross of St. Andrew, albeit unusually on a red, rather than blue, background.

Chancel Screen Memorial

On each side of the chancel screen (separating the chancel from the nave) at the rear of the nave altar platform is a carved and inscribed memorial to those who fell in the First World War. The two sides of the memorial are surmounted by the same inscription.

Here is a list of all the names on the memorial. A study of a Chippenham street map will show that many of these men have had local roads named after them.

Remember the men from this parish who fell in the Great War, 1914-1918 in whose memory the roodscreen is dedicated to Almighty God, a.d. 1921.
Frederick George Ashe Richard Elmes Ernest Lane Edwin Frank Scammell
Frederick Edward Avey Frederick Escott George John Little Reginald Edward Sheppard
Francis Edward Baker George William Fields Edwin Ernest Herbert Lough Arthur George Short
Thomas Baker Arthur Reginald Flower Gilbert John Mahoney Maurice William Short
William Albert Baker Herbert Thomas James Fortune Walter John Martin Richard Charles Silley
Gerald Harvey Barnfield Joseph Stanley Victor Fox James William Milford Frank Stapleford
Frederick Gideon Beasley Frank Goulding Albert Edward Millard Samuel Stott
Frank Beaven Frederick Orlando Goulding George Millard Arthur John Swanborough
Albert Bishop Francis John Griffin Henry John Morse Frank Tanner
Robert Blanchard John Edward Griffin Sidney Ivor Morse Herbert Arthur Tanner
George Bodman George William Fields Lewis John Morton William James Taylor
William Brewer Walter Frank Haines Albert George Newman James Thomas
Frederick George Bright Ladas Harcourt Hancock Walter George Parsons Ralph Thomas
Edwin John Brinkworth Walter Hancock Arthur John Payne Charles Tompkins
Thomas Brinkworth Alfred James Hand Herbert Henry Payne Ernest Townsend
Edward Bull Francis Herbert Harding Edgar Thomas Pearce Percy Tucker
Frederick George Bull John Henry Hatherell Stanley William James Pearce Reginald Tucker
Stephen Bull William James Hatherell Harold Pearce Frederick John Walker
Reginald Albert Butler Fred Heath Percy Pearce James Webb
Harry Button Maurice Heath Sidney Alan Penny William Webb
Thomas Henry Carpenter Gilbert Arthur Kennaugh Higgins Percy James Perkins George Weston
Robert William Carter Arthur George Hiscox Frank Phillips Harry John Wheeler
Edward Carvey Edward Hopkins John Roland Phillips Henry John Wicks
Albert Edward Chivers Fred Hudd Thomas Henry Powell Arthur William Wilkins
Edwin George Chivers George Hulbert Fred Powney Frederick Willis
Sidney James Chivers Alfred George Hunt Thomas Michael Alexander Puttock Ernest Daniel Wilson
William Joseph John Comley Percival George Havelock Hunt Arthur Sidney Rawlings Evelyn Seppings Wilson2
Sylvester Thomas Cook Elisha Frank Jones William Robinson Geoffrey Mervyn Underhill Wilson2
Henry George Couzens Harold Walter Jones Wallace Mortimer Rooke1 Herbert Raymond Wilson2
Noah Davis Ernest William Jones Roland John Rose Herbert Jesse Wiltshire
William Herbert Dickson Ivan Cecil Francis Joy Stephen Rose John Waddie Wishart
Noel Edwards Oscar James Kidd Simeon Rowe Joseph Wood
Orlando Edwards Gerald King Albert Thomas Rusher Reginald John Wood
  1. Wallace Rooke is also commemorated in a brass plate on the wall of the south aisle.
  2. The three Wilson brothers are also commemorated in a stained glass window on the south side of the baptistry.

The Tower

The ground floor of the tower serves as the entrance porch to the church. The lancet windows are 14th century and the date, 1643, of the earliest monument in the south wall of the porch is just ten years after the second of the two rebuilds.

A flight of 17 steps beyond the wooden door leads to the landing, thought to be Victorian, under the south window. There is an old window between staircase and porch on the way up, now only visible from the inside behind the more modern cladding seen from the porch. In the north-west corner there is clear evidence of the old boxed in area which housed the very long clock weights prior to the electrification of the winding mechanism in the1970s. In the north-east corner hangs the rope for the ‘vicar’s bell’, which operates a clock hammer mechanism on the seventh of the eight bells and is particularly significant in induction services.

On the next spiral staircase is a blocked up doorway from the church, also visible on the church side. The level of the door is thought to be that of the old organ gallery removed in 1879. Certainly the doorway is likely to have been part of the 17th century rebuild, as witness the date ‘1634’ in the centre of the lintel.

A further 20 steps and one complete twist of the spiral staircase brings us to the level of the ringing chamber, a room with a high ceiling and with its north and south facing windows well above head height, as is the clock pendulum which swings inside the west wall. Around the walls is an array of peal boards, photographs, memorial plaques and trophy certificates, together with a ‘Roll of Honour’, ‘Rules for Ringers’, a crowded notice board and a modern whiteboard. Above the door is the ‘servants’ bell’, normally used as a signal that the bride and groom are on their way down the aisle following their wedding service and that the ringing should now begin! The furniture, and the bells themselves higher up, were installed into the tower via a series of trap doors between one floor and the next.

Immediately above the ringing chamber is the clock chamber, a room of more modest height, just comfortably squeezed in between the ringing room windows and the bottom of the clock face. The floor level makes access from the spiral staircase impractical; instead, this is from inside the ringing chamber via a 19-rung wooden ladder and a trap door. The clock was erected in 1858 at the instigation of the then Mayor of Chippenham, Jacob Phillips, and was paid for by public subscription. The massive mechanism, which contains many very unusual features, was built by Henry Weight of Malmesbury (11 miles north of Chippenham). It is probably the only clock made by him which is still in working order. In 1976, following a public appeal by the Mayor and Town Council of Chippenham, the clock was restored by the present maintainers, John Smith and Son of Derby. Although they had to replace the clock face, they were able to retain the original mechanism. Electric winding replaced the former hand winding.

In the south-east angle of the Lady chapel is the large Baynton tomb. Above, against the east wall, is half of a sepulchral slab. This looks like the front of a mummy case and is carved with a life-sized female figure with hands linked in prayer. This was dug up from the floor of the chancel in 1847 after the removal of the vicarage pew. Its inscription in Norman French – and now, unfortunately, virtually indecipherable – refers to “… Clerk, and his wife Alis, founders of a chantry”. There was a John Clerk recorded as a considerable landowner in the the reign of Edward III and it is possible that the slab refers to him and his wife and that they were the founders of the old chantry chapel of St. Andrew.

Note, too, the memorial tablets (2-7) behind the altar. On the floor are two dark ledger stones which were removed from the north chancel chapel and commemorate two local families with the name Long. The most famous member of those families was Sir James Long of nearby Draycot Cerne who was a staunch and active Royalist in the Civil War.

The east window is a Jesse window of 1900, by Lavers and Westlake, said to be comparable with the famous one in Dorchester, Oxfordshire. It depicts the genealogy of Christ from the “root of Jesse”, father of King David (Matthew 1 in the New Testament), shown as the branches of a vine.

Nowadays the Lady Chapel is used for certain weekday services and during Holy Week – the week before Easter.

From back down at the ringing room door, it is another 41 steps and two further whole turns up to where the spiral staircase ends at the level of the bell chamber. Immediately inside the door there is just sufficient space to climb up a metal ladder onto the wooden bell frame into a much more cavern-like atmosphere, with headroom extending straight up inside the full height of the spire. Most of the natural light comes through the clock face. When standing on the bell frame, although clearly visible, the bells themselves are less prominent, hanging mouth down within the frame below. A second, short ladder on the centre of the south wall gives access up to the narrow outside parapet around the foot of the spire.

The Chancel

Both the south window and the east window in the chancel are further examples of the work of Lavers and Westlake. The south window dates from 1903 and is a memorial to Sir Gabriel Goldney, Baronet, who was Member of Parliament for Chippenham from 1865-85. The window depicts episodes from the life of Joseph and his brothers from the later chapters of the Old Testament book of Genesis, with the church of Bradenstoke between Chippenham and Swindon and the District School of Pickwick shown below. Both these places were important to Sir Gabriel. Also shown are the Borough coat of arms and that of Sir Gabriel.

The east window was made in the Perpendicular style in 1878 and shows Christ in glory with angels, saints, prophets and martyrs praising God (the “Te Deum”).

The small Norman window above the aumbry – the small safe in the wall to the left as you face the high altar where the communion bread and wine are kept – was put there after it had been removed from the old north wall of the nave when the north aisle was built. There do not seem to be any records of who created the delicately coloured figure of St. Andrew which it contains.

The 17th century Laudian altar rail is of Spanish mahogany, and was designed to keep dogs away from the high altar. It was discovered during the 19th century restoration among lumber which had been stored away.

The clergy vestry – formerly the north chancel chapel of St. John the Baptist – is not open to visitors. Its entrance is the Norman chancel arch with the addition of a Jacobean screen. The openings of the screen have been filled in with modern panels and a door.

Since the nave altar was installed in 1982 and the choir relocated west of the screen, the chancel has also been known as the Eastern Chapel. It is used for the Said Eucharist service at 8.00am on Sundays.

The Lady Chapel

Dating from the fourteenth century, the Lady Chapel, formerly known as the South Chancel Chapel or the Hungerford Chapel, is entered through a screen with three Hungerford coats of arms on the west side. This screen was built from timbers taken from the ancient roofs of the church and is a memorial to Canon Rich who was Vicar at the time of the major late 19th century rebuilding programme. In the south wall of the Lady Chapel the westernmost window contains small panes of painted glass showing two heraldic devices of the Hungerfords – intertwined sickles and a raven gorged (collared) with a coronet and chained. Below the south window is the stone bench which would have originally been the only form of seating in the church. Benches like this were provided against the walls of churches for the aged and infirm – everyone else stood – and gave rise to the phrase “the weakest go to the wall”.

The east window was made in the Perpendicular style in 1878 and shows Christ in glory with angels, saints, prophets and martyrs praising God (the “Te Deum”).

The small Norman window above the aumbry – the small safe in the wall to the left as you face the high altar where the communion bread and wine are kept – was put there after it had been removed from the old north wall of the nave when the north aisle was built. There do not seem to be any records of who created the delicately coloured figure of St. Andrew which it contains.

The 17th century Laudian altar rail is of Spanish mahogany, and was designed to keep dogs away from the high altar. It was discovered during the 19th century restoration among lumber which had been stored away.

The clergy vestry – formerly the north chancel chapel of St. John the Baptist – is not open to visitors. Its entrance is the Norman chancel arch with the addition of a Jacobean screen. The openings of the screen have been filled in with modern panels and a door.

Since the nave altar was installed in 1982 and the choir relocated west of the screen, the chancel has also been known as the Eastern Chapel. It is used for the Said Eucharist service at 8.00am on Sundays.

The South Aisle

Prynne Memorial
Click to read more about the Prynne Family.

Standing facing the nave altar, the 15th century south aisle is on your right. It houses one of the church’s greatest treasures – the monument to Sir Gilbert Prynne and his wife. The monument was originally erected in 1628 when it stood in the south chancel chapel (now the Lady Chapel) where it blocked the westernmost window. Fortunately, it was moved from there to its present position against the south aisle wall during the major restoration and rebuilding of the church in 1875-78. This monument has been considerably improved by the cleaning and restoration carried out in 1981.

The figures and the brass tablets below the monument are worth inspecting. Five of the seven children depicted are shown carrying skulls. This signifies that they died in infancy.

To the right of the Prynne Monument is a group of 17th and 18th century memorial tablets (28-31), of which there are many examples in the church. To the left is a late 19th century memorial window. This was made by Lavers and Westlake of London who were responsible for many of the stained glass windows here. This particular window shows the Annunciation, Visitation, the Nativity and the Adoration of the Magi.

Further along the wall of the south aisle are two Stations of the Cross. Stations of the Cross are sequential points of focus in the church for penitential worship during the period of Lent prior to Good Friday. They represent steps in the Passion narrative leading to Christ’s crucifixion. In Roman Catholic places of worship there are often as many as fourteen Stations. From west to east, these are: (5) Jesus is stripped; (6) Jesus is nailed to the cross. The other four permanently visible stations are on the wall of the north aisle.

Further east along the south aisle, between the baptistry and the Lady Chapel, is another 19th century stained glass window by Lavers and Westlake. This shows the Dedication of Samuel in the Temple, Christ disputing with the doctors, Christ working in St. Joseph’s workshop, and Christ blessing the children. Below this window stands the Mayor’s chair, emblazoned with the Borough coat of arms. This coat of arms was first used as a Borough Seal in 1359 and is a combination of the escutcheons (shields with armorial bearings) of the Gascelyns and Hussees who were Lords of the Manors of nearby Sheldon and Rowden respectively in the 13th and 14th centuries. The connection between the Borough and this church has always been a close one and, each year, the Civic Service for the Mayor and Town Council is held here.

The Nave

As in many churches, the main entrance to St. Andrew’s is at the west end through the base of the tower. The first space, which we call the porch, is where we display notices relating to the current activities of the church community. On the far side of the porch is a pair of thick glass doors set in a thick glass screen, which helps us to keep the church warm while enabling passers by to observe, and perhaps silently connect with, the worship taking place within. Beyond the glass doors is the main central area of the church – the nave.

At the west end of the nave, to your immediate right and left, are two carved, canopied churchwardens’ seats, which were installed early in the twentieth century. A churchwarden is one of the main elected representatives of the congregation and is formally responsible for the movable church property and for keeping order in the church.

St. Andrew’s Church no longer has any fixed pews in which the congregation sit. The rows of movable seats were installed in the 1970s – a far-sighted decision in those days – and these enable us to use the space much more flexibly. For example, the areas beyond the stone pillars to the left and right of the nave (the north and south aisles) can be used to serve refreshments after services or during concert intervals. Alternatively, for services such as the Christmas Eve carol service which attract large congregations, we can arrange additional seating.

At the far end of the nave, just in front of the carved wooden screen is the nave altar, which is on a raised platform. This is where the central act of our worship, the Eucharist (also known as Holy Communion), is celebrated. The rows of seats on each side of the altar platform are occupied by the choir. The nave altar was installed in 1985 to enable us to celebrate the Eucharistic act more centrally among the congregation, rather than remotely at the high altar.

Church Organ

One of the greatest treasures of our parish is the organ in St Andrews church. Originally built by Bryce Seede in 1752 (arguably the finest West Country organ builder) it was relocated and substantially expanded in 1879. It is one of only two surviving Bryce Seede organs in the world.

This magnificent instrument is in need of significant repairs, and the part of the wind chest that feeds the swell organ was not functioning as it should over the very hot summer last year. The costs of doing this will be considerable but achievable, and the PCC have set up an organ rebuilding committee to plan the rebuild and raise the appropriate funds.

There are lots of ways to get involved and help support this important project.

The organ committee is comprised of:

  1. Chair (James Adman)
  2. Vice Chair (Chris Higman)
  3. Project Manager (Chris Higman)
  4. Organists (Geoff Oldnall / Richard Bambury)
  5. Media and Communications (Beth McNally / Remy Osman)
  6. Events Organiser (Brian Elliot)
  7. Grants Coordinator (Dick Spencer)
  8. Treasurer (Chris Higman)