Fosbury: Christ Church
Overview
Grid reference: SU 314 586
Teulon is renowned for his 'wilfulness' and the 'tough' quality of his detailing. But Fosbury is not the only country church by Teulon which shows that he had an unexpected capacity for immersing himself in the local building materials and design traditions of the county in which he was working. Hence the walls of the church are externally faced with flints and there are some characteristic touches of detail (e.g. the frieze of cusped triangles below the parapet of the tower) which give the building a quite definite Wiltshire flavour. The grouping of church and parsonage and their careful siting into the surrounding landscape are also noteworthy.
Visiting and facilities
Building is closed for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
Aisles nave and chancel under a continuous roof; south-west tower, vestry on the north side of the chancel.
Description of Archaeology and History
By S.S. Teulon, 1856. Consecrated September 30th 1856.
Exterior Description
Teulon is renowned for his 'wilfulness' and the 'tough' quality of his detailing. But Fosbury is not the only country church by Teulon which shows that he had an unexpected capacity for immersing himself in the local building materials and design traditions of the county in which he was working. Hence the walls of the church are externally faced with flints and there are some characteristic touches of detail (e.g. the frieze of cusped triangles below the parapet of the tower) which give the building a quite definite Wiltshire flavour. The grouping of church and parsonage and their careful siting into the surrounding landscape are also noteworthy.
The style adopted is Decorated. There is an east window of five big lights with tracery consisting chiefly of two sexfoils and two mouchettes. Below the east window the wall is faced with stone ashlar, with intermittent panels of flint. Above the east window in the steep gable is a four-lobed opening into the roofspace. East and west gable crosses must have existed, giving vitality to the skyline, but these no longer survive. Another external feature whichcan be appreciated from the south-east good viewpoint, from which the church groups well with the former parsonage is the massive chimney of the vestry.
Interior
Interior Description
The interior of the church seems wide and a little bare. The walls are plastered. There is no chancel arch (which adds to the wideness and bareness) but a quite clear differentiation between roof structures - the nave has arched braces, and the chancel root is a spindly hammerbeam construction with an inimitably Teulon flavour. Over the entrance and the side windows are bands with painted texts, which lend a sense of period; the east window has a roll moulding supported by label-stops in the form of heads. The hull-posts for the roof come down to short lengths of attached columns, with vivaciously carved naturalistic foliage for both capital and base.
Fixtures and fittings
Rail
Communion rails. Moulded top rail, and a base frieze of trefoils.
Table
Vestry table. A minor piece but (it would appear) designed by Teulon.
Stall
The choirstalls are quite handsome, with the same pierced trefoil pattern in the Communion rails.
Stall
The pulpit (on a moulded stone base), the clergy stall, and the lectern complete the wooden furnishings designed en suite by Toulon for the church.
Pulpit
The pulpit (on a moulded stone base), the clergy stall, and the lectern complete the wooden furnishings designed en suite by Toulon for the church
Lectern
The pulpit (on a moulded stone base), the clergy stall, and the lectern complete the wooden furnishings designed en suite by Toulon for the church
Font (object)
The font is the most spectacular of the Teulon furnishings. It is of stone, with an octagonal bowl which has deeply—cut quatrefoils each with some different form of ornamentation; the bowl is supported on a vigorously designed and executed tier of arcading, and then a moulded octagonal stem.
Organ (object)
American organ by Mason and Hamilton
Churchyard
Grid reference: SU 314 586
Burial and War Grave Information
It is unknown whether the building is consecrated.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has been used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard is used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has war graves.
National Heritage record for England designations
There are no records of National Heritage assets within the curtilage of this site.
Environment
Ancient, Veteran & Notable Trees
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
There are no records of Ancient, Veteran or Notable Trees within the curtilage of this site.
Renewables
| Renewable | Installed |
|---|---|
| Solar PV Panels | N/A |
| Solar Thermal Panels | N/A |
| Biomass | N/A |
| Wind Turbine | N/A |
| Air Source Heat Pump | N/A |
| Ground Source Heat Pump | N/A |
| Ev Charging | N/A |
Species summary
There are no records of species within the curtilage of this site.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
'Seek advice' Species
More information on species and action to be taken upon discovery.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
Further information
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