38 Opening Address to the Section of Architecture 



frequent in Wiltshire. Some of these are on rather a large scale 

 and of considerable dignity, such as Edington, Amcsbury, Westbury, 

 Tisbury, Heytcsbury, Downton, Bishopston, All Cannings, Bishops 

 Cannings, and Great Bcdwyn, and several more, while others are 

 small and unpretending. The nave at least is commonly provided 

 with aisles, but the noble Church of Potterne, one of the finest in 

 the county, has none, and the Churches of Winterbourne Stoke and 

 Britford are also aisleless. The Church of! Bratton may be men- 

 tioned as a perfect specimen of an aisleless cruciform Church with 

 a central tower on the smallest scale. A singular line of cruciform 

 Churches runs along the Vale of Chalk, where Bishopston, Broad 

 Chalk, Bower Chalk, Alvediston, and Berwick St. John, in suc- 

 cession, exhibit the same plan. A central tower is essential to the 

 completeness of the outline of a cruciform Church. This is seldom 

 wanting in the Wilts cross Churches, and in some, as at Chilmark, 

 and Bishops Cannings, which is crowned with a stone spire, at 

 Potterne, Westbury, Cricklade St. Sampson's, and others, it is of 

 considerable dignity. Corsham Church had till recently a central 

 tower, but when it was restored by the late Mr. Street he pulled it 

 down and built a new tower and spire in a different position ; we 

 may suppose that there were sufficient reasons for that treatment. 

 While speaking of towers it should be mentioned that two Churches 

 near the north-east border, Pur ton and Wanborough, both cruciform 

 in plan, present the unusual feature of two steeples, a square tower 

 at the west end of the nave and a spire in the centre. This arrange- 

 ment, it will be remembered, is also found at Wimborne Minster, 

 the western tower being the later belfry of the parochial nave, that 

 at the intersection the early lantern of the Collegiate Church. The 

 western steeples at Purton and Wanborough are also later additions 

 for the reception of a peal of bells, for which the existing central 

 spire was inadequate. 



Stone spires, though by no means numerous, are not very un- 

 common. Passing over that of Salisbury Cathedral, confessedly 

 without a rival in England, and for the union of simple majesty and 

 exquisite grace almost without a rival in the world, these spires do 

 not generally take the first rank for height or beauty. There are, 



