St Nicholas's Church, Berwick Bassett
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| St Nicholas's Church | |
|---|---|
| Location | Berwick Bassett, Wiltshire England |
| Coordinates | 51°27′39″N 1°51′35″W / 51.46083°N 1.85972°W |
| Built | 15th century |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Designated | 27 February 1958[1] |
| Reference no. | 1365565 |
St Nicholas's Church in Berwick Bassett, Wiltshire, England dates from the early 13th century.[2] It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a Grade II* listed building,[1] and is now a redundant church in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.[3] It was declared redundant in 1972,[4] and was vested in the Trust the next year.[5][6] Services continue to be held at the church a few times a year.[7]
The church can only be approached by a pedestrian footpath.[8] The redbrick chancel was built between 1199 and 1221, with the nave being added in the 14th century and built of sarsen stone.[1][9] On the south wall is a scratch dial.[10] The interior has a font from the 13th century and a rood screen from the 15th.[9] The pulpit, altar rail and pews are from the 19th century.[1] There is a trefoiled piscina, a shallow basin used for washing the communion vessels.[1] Monuments include wall tablets to Henry Webb (died 1776), John Nalder (1794), and Elizabeth Nalder (1835).[1]
In the 1660s the church was visited by John Aubrey, who described the memorials and tombs he saw.[11] In 1857 the church underwent a major restoration by Thomas Henry Wyatt.[1] This included replacement of the original wooden tower with the current stone structure which contains three bells dating from the 17th century.[9] At this point the walls were rendered and whitewashed.[1]