Church of St. Saviour, Erlestoke

The parish church is dedicated to the Holy Saviour or St. Saviour, and was built in 1880 in the place of an earlier church, which was situated a few hundred metres away from the current site. The original church was dedicated to St. James and was first mentioned in 1220 when Erlestoke was a chapelry of Melksham. The building of St Saviour’s was funded by Lady Charlotte Watson-Taylor of Erlestoke House; Erlestoke became an ecclesiastical parish in 1877 and the patronage of the church was handed to the Watson-Taylor family. The new church was designed by architect George Edmond Street and was opened officially on 6th October 1880.

Between St. James being demolished and St. Saviour’s opening, there was a barn which acted as a temporary church in the middle of the village near to the school. The Church of St. Saviour is made up of a chancel, nave, north and south chapels and a tower. It cost around £6,000 and is rather Gothic in style. Parts of the original church have been retained, including parts of the porch. And tablets from St James’s are also in the new church.

The pulpit dates from the 17th century and is carved with leaves and flowers. There are stone carvings on the walls, including scenes of animals; one shows squirrels and a stag’s head. There are six bells in the church; one was given by Lady Watson-Taylor in 1882 after the new church had opened; this was in addition to the five belonging to St James’s that were re-hung in the new church. The organ was installed in the church in 1881 by William Beales of Clapham. It was restored 1961 and again in 1996 at a cost of £4,000. Electric lights were first installed in the church in 1933.

The parish registers dating from 1681, other than those currently in use, are held in the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre at Chippenham.