St Mary's Church, Ashley
Encyclopedia
St Mary's Church, Ashley, is a redundant
Anglican
church in the hamlet of Ashley, Hampshire
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
. The church stands adjacent to the site of the former Gains Castle, some 4 miles (6 km) southeast of Stockbridge
.
was extended later in the century. The windows date from the 15th and 16th centuries, and the porch was added in 1701. Restoration
s were carried out on 1858 and in 1895. The church closed in 1976.
rubble
with stone dressings and quoins
. The walls, other than the east wall, are rendered
. The porch is brick and the roofs are tiled. It is a small narrow church with a simple plan, consisting of a nave
and a chancel, with a south porch. The three-light square-headed east window dates from the 14th century, and has been restored. At the corners of the east end are 16th-century diagonal buttress
es, and on the gable
is a stone cross. There are two 12th-century round-headed lancet window
s in the south wall of the chancel and one in the north wall. To the west of these, on both north and south sides, is a 15th-century square-headed two-light window. The north wall of the nave contains another 12th-century round-headed lancet window
. In both north and south walls is a 19th-century two-light window in Perpendicular style. The porch is gabled and has a round-headed doorway. In each wall is a five-sided window. The west window dates from the 15th century. There are two bell openings in the west gable, which contains the bells, and on the gable is a 12th-century cross.
. To the east of the door is a damaged piscina
, and to its west is a 16th-century alms
box that has been carved from a tree trunk. The font
is Norman
. It is made in Purbeck marble
, and consists of a square bowl supported by a moulded
stem on a square base. The other fittings date from the 19th century.
and date from the 19th century, although their inscriptions are illegible.
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church in the hamlet of Ashley, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
. The church stands adjacent to the site of the former Gains Castle, some 4 miles (6 km) southeast of Stockbridge
Stockbridge, Hampshire
Stockbridge is a small town and civil parish in Hampshire, England. It has an acreage of and a population of little under 600 people according to the 2001 census in Hampshire, England. It lies on the River Test, in the Test Valley district and renowned for trout fishing. The A30 road goes through...
.
History
The church dates from the early part of the 12th century, and the chancelChancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
was extended later in the century. The windows date from the 15th and 16th centuries, and the porch was added in 1701. Restoration
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
s were carried out on 1858 and in 1895. The church closed in 1976.
Exterior
St Mary's is constructed in flintFlint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
rubble
Rubble
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture. This word is closely connected in derivation with "rubbish", which was formerly also applied to what we now call "rubble". Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as brash...
with stone dressings and quoins
Quoin (architecture)
Quoins are the cornerstones of brick or stone walls. Quoins may be either structural or decorative. Architects and builders use quoins to give the impression of strength and firmness to the outline of a building...
. The walls, other than the east wall, are rendered
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
. The porch is brick and the roofs are tiled. It is a small narrow church with a simple plan, consisting of a nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and a chancel, with a south porch. The three-light square-headed east window dates from the 14th century, and has been restored. At the corners of the east end are 16th-century diagonal buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es, and on the gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
is a stone cross. There are two 12th-century round-headed lancet window
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
s in the south wall of the chancel and one in the north wall. To the west of these, on both north and south sides, is a 15th-century square-headed two-light window. The north wall of the nave contains another 12th-century round-headed lancet window
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
. In both north and south walls is a 19th-century two-light window in Perpendicular style. The porch is gabled and has a round-headed doorway. In each wall is a five-sided window. The west window dates from the 15th century. There are two bell openings in the west gable, which contains the bells, and on the gable is a 12th-century cross.
Interior
Inside the church many of the windows are splayed. In the splay of a window on the south of the chancel is a 13th-century painting of a human figure. There are two monuments dating from the 18th century. On each side of the chancel arch is a round-headed squintHagioscope
A hagioscope or squint, in architecture, is an opening through the wall of a church in an oblique direction, to enable the worshippers in the transepts or other parts of the church, from which the altar was not visible, to see the elevation of the host.Hagioscopes were also sometimes known as...
. To the east of the door is a damaged piscina
Piscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. Roman Catholics usually refer to the drain, and by extension, the basin, as the sacrarium...
, and to its west is a 16th-century alms
Alms
Alms or almsgiving is a religious rite which, in general, involves giving materially to another as an act of religious virtue.It exists in a number of religions. In Philippine Regions, alms are given as charity to benefit the poor. In Buddhism, alms are given by lay people to monks and nuns to...
box that has been carved from a tree trunk. The font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
is Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
. It is made in Purbeck marble
Purbeck Marble
Purbeck Marble is a fossiliferous limestone quarried in the Isle of Purbeck, a peninsula in south-east Dorset, England.It is one of many kinds of Purbeck Limestone, deposited in the late Jurassic or early Cretaceous periods....
, and consists of a square bowl supported by a moulded
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
stem on a square base. The other fittings date from the 19th century.
External features
A pair of tombchests in the churchyard has been designated as a Grade II listed building. They are made from Portland stonePortland stone
Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries consist of beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building stone throughout the British Isles, notably in major...
and date from the 19th century, although their inscriptions are illegible.
See also
- List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in South East England