156 



Notes on the Churches 



had been whitewashed, and I think patches of this can still be 

 found. On seeing this I did violence to my predilections, and 

 advised the Rector not to re-plaster the walls but to point the joints 

 of the stone-work and leave it exposed, with some of the whitewash 

 as evidence. 



Church op the Blessed Virgin Mary. Calstone. 



We have here a specimen of a Church entirely of one date (if we 

 except the insertion of a window) and therefore representing' the 

 ideal village Church of its period — towards the middle of the 

 fifteenth century. The only structural alteration (until a few years 

 ago) was the insertion of the north window of the sanctuary, about 

 forty years later. 



The rood-loft and its staircase have disappeared, but there is clear 

 evidence of the latter in the two doorways inside and in the far 

 projecting plinth of the buttress on the north side. The type of 

 work in this Church is bold and vigorous, and a remarkable feature 

 is the large dimensions of the blocks of stone used. Mr. Hadow 

 tells me that the architect who restored the Church in so admirable 

 and conservative a manner, found the foundations very shallow, and 

 attributed the absence of settlements or other ill effects from this to 

 the good bond obtained by the employment of these long stones. 

 The nave and porch retain their original roofs, which have evidently 

 been carefully pieced and repaired ; and the old door with its iron- 

 work still does duty at the north entrance, which has a late niche 

 inserted over it. There are bits of old painted glass in the south 

 window of the sanctuary. 



This Church, like Blacklands, has an aumbry of oak, and in this 

 case it is well preserved. There is also a piscina with a stone aumbry 

 in the south wall of the chancel. The piscina in the south wall of 

 the nave indicates the position of a second altar, and there are also 

 aumbries, probably used in connexion with it, north and south of the 

 chancel arch. The royal arms painted on the wall over the chancel 

 arch bear the date 1740, and the font and its cover are probably 

 coeval with it. 



