352 The Churches of Sherston, Corston, and Netheravon. 



The Church of All Saints. Corston. 



The caustic remarks of Aubrey about the " modern zeal " on 

 Corston might be applied to many other places. 1 



This Church was formerly a chapel attached to Malmesbury, 

 there is no structural chancel, the east part of the parallelogram 

 being screened off for that use. With the exception of the west 

 end the Church has been entirely re-built, owing to the zeal which 

 has continued since the days of Aubrey — the 15th century south 

 doorway and the remnant of the rood screen being all that is left 

 of the old work. 



The screen is a charming bit of work, it is divided into six bays 

 on each side of the central opening, each with traceried head ; the 

 top rail is enriched with vine pattern carving all gilt, but the upper 

 member is modern ; the lower part is nearly complete. The loft 

 has gone. 



The west wall with its window and turret is a picturesque bit of 

 grouping. The wall is of the local rubble masonry, without buttresses, 

 the wrought features being of Bath stone. In the centre is a two- 

 light pointed window of Early Perpendicular type, with a kind of 

 pilaster springing from the label mould, carried up and corbelled 

 out to form the west plain rectangular pier of the octagonal bell- 

 turret: the other three cardinal sides have similar piers — those 

 north and south having a small buttress down the centre — and the 

 diagonal sides are open. A string course is carried round the base, 

 and the piers are corbelled out to carry an embattled cornice, above 

 which rises the octagonal stone spire. The turret contains two 

 bells. This turret differs from Castle Eaton in being over the west 

 gable instead of between nave and chancel, and in having the em- 

 battled cornice with its corbels — otherwise there is great similarity. 



1 " In the Church nothing to be found : the modern zeal has been reforming 

 here-about. Surely this tract of land, Gloucestershire and Somerset, encline 

 people to zeal. Heretofore nothing but Religious Houses, now nothing but 

 Quakers and Fanatiques. It is a sour woodsere country, and inclines people 

 to contemplation. So, that, and the Bible, and ease, for it is now all upon 

 dairy-grassing and clotheing, sett their witts a-running and reforming." 



