Church of All Saints, Froxfield

Church of All Saints, Froxfield
Date of image
2008
Date uploaded
20 March 2012
Number of views
595
Number of comments
0
Location of image
Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre, Chippenham
Notes


The church is a Grade 2* listed building, located on the western side of the village.
It was originally built in the 12th century, from which period the nave remains. The chancel was rebuilt in the 13th century; windows were inserted in the church when it was renovated in the late 19th century, The majority of the building is built of flint and sarsen stone (a kind of sandstone found on Salisbury plain, not particularly well-suited for use as a building material), with the roof tiled with Cotswold stone tiles.

An interesting point about the chancel and nave of the church is that the north and south walls are asymmetrical, with the first being longer than the second; this is thought to either be a builder’s error, or intended to symbolise Jesus’s head twisting when he was on the cross. There is also a blank wall five feet across between the two eastern windows; something not found in many churches at all.

The church had two bells in 1553, and in 1671, although there were two bells then, they were small, and didn’t work very well. In 1995, there was a bell cast in 1672 by Henry Knight of Reading; the other was uninscribed, but probably of the same age.
The church was also in possession of a German or Dutch chalice, decorated richly, dating from around 1619, and a paten (a plate usually made of precious metal and used to carry the bread at the Eucharist) hallmarked 1815.

In 1891-92, the church was restored, using designs by Ewan Christian; the porch was renovated, the roof was almost entirely rebuilt, a more intricate bell tower was built to replace the older one, the west gallery was demolished, the south window was replaced by one in 15th century style, the chancel and chancel arch were reconstructed, and the vestry was replaced by a vestry and organ chamber that crossed the central area of the church, to create part of the cross-shape of the building.

The parish registers from 1561, other than those in current use, are held in the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre at Chippenham.