14 



Notes on the Churches 



name of S. Giles; it is simple in plan, having 1 only nave with north 

 and south aisles, chancel, and western tower, but it has many points 

 of great interest. 



As is frequently the case, the oldest feature is the font, the bowl 

 of which appears to be Norman work of about the middle of the 

 twelfth century. This would indicate the probability of an older 

 Church than the present one having" stood on this site, and this 

 probability receives support from the extreme narrowness of the 

 aisles. The present aisles were built at a time when it was 

 customary to make them of much greater width than before, and 

 that this was not done here is probably due to the foundation lines 

 of a Norman Church having been followed. We may, therefore, 

 fairly assume that a Norman Church with aisles once stood here. 

 The foundations of Norman work — at least down to the middle of 

 the twelfth century — were almost invariably bad, and this doubtless 

 accounts for the re-building of Churches having so often become 

 necessary within so short a time of their original construction. 

 The re-building here began with the side walls and arcades of the 

 nave, which are probably the work of quite the end of the thirteenth 

 century. The west end of the north aisle was most likely built at 

 the same time, for the two buttresses there are of the work of that 

 period. 



The great wave of Church building which swept over the country 

 in the fifteenth century did not miss Imber, for at a date not later 

 than 1420 the north and south aisles — with the very usual door in 

 each wall, the square-headed windows in the side walls, and the 

 pointed one in the east end — were re-built and the north porch and 

 tower added. The nave was also re-roofed in the waggon-head 

 form so prevalent in the south-west of England but less commonly 

 met with in this county. This fifteenth century work is bold and 

 massive, and it must have been no slight task in those days to get 

 up to Imber the large quoin and bonding stones which may be seen 

 on the outside. Owing to the peculiar treatment of the turret 

 staircase the tower has five corners, and although it has lost a 

 pinnacle it can still claim to possess the same number of pinnacles 

 as many other towers which have been less unfortunate. It will be 



