229 
Che Churches of Durton and Wanbovongh : 
By C. E. Ponttne, Esq. (Diocesan Surveyor and Architect). 
(These two Churches were visited by the Society on their Annual Excursion, in August, 1886 .} 
SWEAT is commonly supposed that there are only three Parish 
G &) Churches in this country which have a central spire and 
a later western tower, these being Purton and Wanborough in 
Wiltshire, and Ormskirk in Lancashire. 
Whether the number is thus limited or not, it is certain that 
such a combination of features is exceedingly rare : it was, therefore, 
a happy circumstance that the two county specimens were selected 
for inspection by Wiltshire Archexologists on two successive days of 
the Annual Meeting in August last, as it enabled a comparison to be 
formed which could not fail to be interesting and instructive. The 
object of this paper and the plates which illustrate it, is—whilst 
describing the points of interest in the Churches generally—to 
assist such a comparison by drawing attention to the more important 
features in each case. 
Tue Cuurcu or S. Mary, Porton. 
As will be seen on reference to the block plan in the corner of 
Plate I., this Church is very symmetrical in form, and consists of 
nave with north and south aisles, central tower with north and 
south transepts, chancel with north sacristy and south chapel, and 
a western tower. There were formerly north and south doorways 
in the central bays of the aisles, but the former has been built up : 
_ the south door has a porch with priest’s room over. 
I will take the various parts of the Church in the order of their 
apparent dates. 
Twelfth century. The earliest feature in the Church is the Tran- 
sitional-Norman impost of the east respond of the south nave arcade, 
and this suggests the idea of there having been a central tower of 
that date, although this impost, like that on the north side, was 
VOL. XXIII.~——-NO. LXIX, R 
