Church of St. Nicholas, East Grafton

Early in 1842 a petition was made to the Dean of Salisbury requesting permission to build a second church in Great Bedwyn. The parish covered a large area and many people lived a considerable distance from the parish church. It was also noted that the population of Great Bedwyn was approximately 2,300 and that the parish church could only seat 700 people. It was felt that a second church was needed in a more central location, and this would also provide accommodation for a greater number of people.

Building began on the 11th April 1842, on an acre of pasture land at East Grafton. The church was designed by the London architect Benjamin Ferrey and built in Bath stone by Mr Lloyd of Great Bedwyn. It can seat 460 people. The nave is 63 feet long by 40 feet wide and the chancel is 26 feet long by 16 feet wide. The building is in the Norman style and consists of a nave and clerestory, aisles and north eastern bell tower, and a chancel with a circular spire. The chancel is vaulted with stone and the rest of the building has a timber roof. The report of the consecration in the Devizes and Wiltshire Gazette says that ‘The appearance of the whole is extremely pleasing – everything being solid and substantial, without plaster or other false ornament’.

The report goes on to describe the interior of the church. All the pews are open and low. The nave is paved with plain encaustic tiles and the chancel, which is approached by three steps, is paved with the same material in more ornate patterns. The altar is a slab of stone supported on a plain altar tomb, with engaged Norman columns at the corners, and a cross carved in front. Immediately above the altar round the apse are painted in richly illuminated characters on zinc plates, the Lord’s Prayer, the Belief, and a text of scripture. Above these, on the walls (which in the apse are highly decorated with painting) are the commandments and other scriptures. The three windows in the chancel (designed by Thomas Willement) contain, in brilliant colouring, subjects relating to the life of Christ. The font, copied from an existing one in Welford in Berkshire, is made of Painswick stone and lined with lead. Around the upper part is a Latin inscription, in raised letters, painted by the Rev. John Ward, Vicar of Great Bedwyn.