Thursday, July 6th. 301 



read some interesting notes on the connection of Addison with 

 this place. Lancelot, the father of Joseph, was rector here in 1660. 

 The register of Joseph's baptism is lost. Mr. Talbot also said a 

 few words on the architecture of the Church. The picturesque old 

 manor-house adjoining the churchyard is inscribed "B. P. 1613," 

 i.e., Roger Pinckney. 



The cottages in these villages are all of flint and brick, many of 

 them wooden-framed and very picturesque. There is a good deal, 

 too, of flint chequer-work. 



One thing is very noticeable to anyone familiar with the down 

 villages of North Wilts, that is, the entire absence of sarsen stones. 

 Not a fragment is to be seen in the houses or walls of the Avon 

 Valley ; and with the exception of the three isolated stones, one in 

 the water at Bulford, and two others on the line to Stonehenge, 

 which tradition says were dropped on the way there, there are 

 practically no sarsens visible in this part of the Plain at all. Indeed 

 it is not until you get to Upavon that they begin to appear in the 

 walls — pretty good evidence that they never did exist on the Plain 

 as they do on the Marlborough and Berkshire Downs. 



FIGrHELDEAN CHURCH, a striking building which has suffered 

 from restoration a good deal inside, was reached next, and here, as 

 at the three succeeding Churches, Mr. Harold Brakspear acted 

 as architectural guide. 



NETHERAVON CHURCH, which was soon reached, is undoubtedly 

 the most interesting Church visited on this year's excursions • 

 indeed in some ways there are few more interesting Churches in 

 the county. Though the Church itself is a fine spacious building, 

 the great interest is, of course, centred in the tower, which is 

 something of an architectural puzzle. Mr. Brakspear took the 

 view that the present west tower was the central tower of an earl}^ 

 Church, the great archway to east and west opening into ohancel 

 and nave respectively, both of which have now entirely disappeared , 

 whilst the small doors in the north and south walls opened into 

 large porches or transepts (such as those in the Saxon Church at 

 Bradford), some remains of the walls of which may still be seen, 

 Mr. Brakspear puts the date as late in the 11th century — considering 



