Terling 'All Saints' Church

Below is the SMR record on this rather nice church. It sits on a green, and has a dignified air about it. The wooden entrances are beautifully carved, so different from the Wiltshire 'stone' churches that I am familar with. The village's northern porchway from the green is on a smaller scale, whilst the much grander south porchway must have been the entrance for the occupants from the manor house. There is an iron gate leading into the churchyard from this side .
There is an early font bowl but it sits on a more modern ugly base of pillars, with an attractive wooden top.














"Flint rubble walls, limestone and clunch dressings. Tower mainly red brick with stone dressings. Chancel walls are rough cast, the roofs are tiled.. Chancel and east wall of west tower may be early 13th century in date. The nave south arcade dates from the late 15th century, also the south aisle and south porch. Features and fittings: windows and window details of the 13th and 14th centuries, reset doorway in tower dates from c1340, the south porch roof is 15th century, there are indents of late 14th, early 15th, 15th centuries, early 13th century font, 15th century mason's marks, 15th century scratched shields on the jambs of the doorway to the tower, a worked stone in the tower is possibly an early 15th century font base Apart from the tower the church is "not impressive from outside". The chancel seems to be 13th century, has a lancet window on the north side, "and otherwise windows of c1300". 15th century timber south porch. 15th century nave arcades. "The low many-moulded tower arch is proof of the existence of a previous C13 tower" "C13 nave and chancel and once a W tower, C15 aisles of which the northern was wholly rebuilt and the southern much renewed in C19". The west tower is the only notable feature except the 15th century timber south porch.. External corner buttresses between the nave and chancel may, if old, indicate a former central tower. Graded CIIIb by Rodwell 13th-15th century church. South arcade, south aisle (restored) and south porch are 15th century. The chancel roof is 13th-14th century, the chancel is roofed with handmade tiles, the nave roof is similar but was boarded to the soffit in the 19th century. The east wall of the tower is 13th century, in stone rubble. The south porch has an elaborate crownpost roof. "This porch, like the S ailse, was probably built by John Rochester who died in 1444" . 2 brasses in the south aisle, with indents for mouth scrolls, are "believed to be of Robert Rochester, 1508, and his wife Elizabeth" (see source 5). The font has an early 13th century bowl and 19th century stem and shaft .Site Assessment = "The S porch is an interesting example of 15th century woodwork" "Nice C15 timber porch" but church is "not impressive from outside" other than the west tower; 15th century porch is the only notable feature apart from the tower. Corner buttresses on outside between nave and chancel may, if old, indicate a former central tower. "The chancel exterior is covered with pebble-dash and there is a deep grass-lined drainage trench around the E end. The graveyard is excessively tidy. Archaeological potential unknown". Roman site suspected to be nearby.