Christ Church, Broad Town
Christ Church is the parish church of the village of Broad Town in Wiltshire, England. Constructed between 1844 and 1846 as a late Commissioners' church, it remains an active parish church and is a Grade II listed building.
| Christ Church | |
|---|---|
 "A handsome building" | |
  Christ Church Location in Wiltshire | |
| 51.5027°N 1.8721°W | |
| Location | Broad Town, Wiltshire, England |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Founded | 1844 |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Designated | 15 August 1985 |
| Architect(s) | W. Hinton Campbell |
| Style | "Late Commissioners' church" |
| Completed | 1846 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Diocese of Salisbury |
| Clergy | |
| Vicar(s) | Revd Rachma Abbott |
History
Historic England gives a construction date for the church of 1844–1846.[1] Nikolaus Pevsner records the architect as W. Hinton Campbell and writes "The detail quite seriously and generously done".[2] The land was given by Horatio Nelson Goddard, and money from eight members of the Goddard family was augmented by a large amount from the Marchioness of Ailesbury.[3]
Repairs and refurbishment in 1937 included replacement of timbers affected by dry rot and woodworm.[3]
The cookery writer Jane Grigson is buried in the churchyard, alongside her husband, Geoffrey.[4] The church remains an active parish church and holds regular services.[5]
Architecture and description
The church is of ashlar Bath stone, with six bays and a bellcote.[1] Pevsner describes Christ Church as "in the lancet style" and its Historic England designation records it as "a handsome building". The church is designated Grade II.[1]
Parish
A chapelry was created for the new church in 1846 from parts of the parishes of Broad Hinton and Clyffe Pypard, and the vicars of those two parishes were to take turns in appointing a perpetual curate to serve the church.[6] Broad Town was given parish status in 1857.[3] Between 1951 and 1974, Broad Town had no vicar and was instead allied with St Bartholomew and All Saints Church in Wootton Bassett.[3] Today, the parish is part of the Lyneham and Woodhill benefice, alongside five neighbouring parishes.[5]
Parish registers from 1847 are held at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre, Chippenham.[3]
References
- Historic England. "Christ Church, Broad Town (Grade II) (1363667)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
- Pevsner & Cherry 2002, pp. 147–148.
- "Christ Church, Broad Town". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
- "Grigson, Jane". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
- "Broad Town: Christ Church". A Church Near You. The Archbishops' Council. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
- "No. 20624". The London Gazette. 21 July 1846. pp. 2669–2670.
Sources
- "Grigson [née McIntire], (Heather Mabel) Jane". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2015. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/39832. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- Pevsner, Nikolaus; Cherry, Bridget (2002) [1963]. Wiltshire. The Buildings of England. New Haven, US & London, UK: Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300096590. OCLC 1052824287.