Chapel Plaister is a hamlet in west

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

, England. It lies on the B3109 road between

Corsham Corsham is a historic market town and civil parish in west Wiltshire, England. It is at the south-eastern edge of the Cotswolds, just off the A4 national route, southwest of Swindon, southeast of Bristol, northeast of Bath and southwest of ...

and

Bradford on Avon Bradford-on-Avon (sometimes Bradford on Avon or Bradford upon Avon) is a town and civil parish in west Wiltshire, England, near the border with Somerset, which had a population of 9,402 at the 2011 census. The town's canal, historic buildings, s ...

, about south-east of the village of

Box A box (plural: boxes) is a container used for the storage or transportation of its contents. Most boxes have flat, parallel, rectangular sides. Boxes can be very small (like a matchbox) or very large (like a shipping box for furniture), and can ...

and south-west of the town of Corsham. The settlement takes its name from a small Anglican church which was a roadside refuge for pilgrims travelling to the shrine of

Joseph of Arimathea Joseph of Arimathea was, according to all four canonical gospels, the man who assumed responsibility for the burial of Jesus after his crucifixion. The historical location of Arimathea is uncertain, although it has been identified with several ...

Glastonbury Glastonbury (, ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbur ...

. Founded circa 1235 and rebuilt in 1340 by Richard Plaisted of

Castle Combe Castle Combe is a village and civil parish within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Wiltshire, England. The village is around north-west of Chippenham. A castle once stood in the area, but was demolished centuries ago. The vi ...

, it was dependent on the now lost parish church of Hazelbury, about half a mile to the north-west. In the 15th century the whole building was raised, the west porch added, and the nave and transept made two-storeyed; the nave was used as the hospice for travellers, and the chancel for services. Restoration was carried out in 1893 and 1999. The building was designated as Grade I listed in 1960. Today the church is within the area of the benefice of Box with Hazelbury and Ditteridge. The adjacent Bell House, an inn from the 17th century and now a private house, may have incorporated a hostel connected with the chapel.

References

External links

* * {{cite web, last1=Parr, first1=Amanda, title=Tiny church to open doors soon, url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/wiltshire/hi/people_and_places/religion_and_ethics/newsid_8662000/8662267.stm, website=BBC Wiltshire, access-date=27 October 2015, date=5 May 2010 Box, Wiltshire Hamlets in Wiltshire Church of England church buildings in Wiltshire Grade I listed churches in Wiltshire 14th-century church buildings in England Joseph of Arimathea