St Michael & All Angels

The church has an exceptionally wide and proportionate chancel arch, dating from the 12th century. The tower was originally just a tower, but then Michael of Amesbury, who was Abbott of Glastonbury, probably in about 1240, built an enormous spire on top of it.

In the late 17th century, John Aubrey (who was born in the village) predicted that the tower would collapse, and it did collapse in the 'Great Storm' in 1703. But John Aubrey also left us the only drawing we have of the spire. The Great Storm of 1703 is still reckoned to be the most violent storm ever recorded to have hit our country (and Daniel Defoe wrote a book about it). But history repeats itself, and on Christmas day 1990, during the Christmas morning service, one of the pinnacles on the tower toppled (again in a storm) and crashed onto the roof, with timber, stone tiles and masonry falling into the congregation, amazingly with no fatalities. You can still see some of the damage.

The timbers of the porch are original 13th century, but will have to be relaid soon. The porch was clearly an afterthought, as can be seen from the way it joins the south wall. The chancel was enlarged and remodelled by the squire in the 1850s, and the stained glass window depicts his wife and children. But this created a considerable scandal at the time, because she wasn't wearing a hat!

Lovely Mary and Martha stained glass window in the South aisle. Francis Kilvert was a close friend for the rector, and deputised for him in 1864-5, living in the village for several months. We have 22 chest tombs in the churchyard.

Twentytwo pollarded lime trees surround the churchyard, which also contains some fine yew trees.