St Lawrence's Church at Stratford-sub-Castle is a Grade I listed Church of England parish church, situated to the north of

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of ...

. It stands close to the abandoned settlement of

Old Sarum Old Sarum, in Wiltshire, South West England, is the now ruined and deserted site of the earliest settlement of Salisbury. Situated on a hill about north of modern Salisbury near the A345 road, the settlement appears in some of the earliest r ...

and about north of Salisbury Cathedral.

History

The date of the foundation of this church is uncertain, and it is first mentioned as a chapel annexed to St Martin's at Salisbury. The church was said to have been consecrated in 1326 but this could have been a rebuilt church, replacing an earlier one on the site. There is a 12th-century font, but it is possible that this could have been brought from elsewhere. It is most probable that much of the stone came from the abandoned buildings at Old Sarum. Some features of the chancel are of the 13th century, and there were alterations and repairs in the 15th century; from this period comes the waggon roof, with its interesting carved bosses, probably of 1461. The nave was probably largely rebuilt in the 16th century and in 1711 the tower was rebuilt, most likely as a copy of the late medieval one. The building was restored in 1904–1905 under the direction of W. D. Caroe, and more repairs were carried out in 1926. Electric lighting was provided in 1948, and there was a further restoration in 1957–1958. There are many pre-Victorian fittings, with an oak chancel screen of the 15th or early 16th century and many other internal fittings of the early 18th century. In 1553 there were three bells, but one was sold in 1584. In 1998, another of the original bells was sold and five new bells hung, retaining the last original bell (dated 1594) as the treble, making a ring of six. The parish registers date from 1654, and those not in current use are held in the

Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre The Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre in Chippenham, Wiltshire, England, serves as a focal point for heritage services relating to Wiltshire and Swindon. The centre opened in 2007 and is funded by Wiltshire Council and Swindon Borough Counc ...

at Chippenham. The church was designated as Grade I listed in 1972. A section of the churchyard contains graves of 52 service personnel of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

that are looked after by the

Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations m ...

. Most from the former war (47) were from local war hospitals, and around half of those are Australian soldiers.
CWGC Cemetery Report, Stratford-sub-Castle (St Lawrence) Churchyard. Accessed 26 June 2021. File:St Lawrence 2 web.jpg, Interior: west end File:St Lawrence 3 web.jpg, Interior: east File:St Lawrence 4 web.jpg, East window File:St Lawrence 5 web.jpg, Altar

References

Sources

Wiltshire community history
– Wiltshire Council. Accessed March 2009.
St Lawrence Church
at Stratford sub Castle community site. Accessed March 2009.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stratford-sub-Castle, Saint Lawrence Church of England church buildings in Wiltshire, Salisbury Churches in Salisbury Grade I listed churches in Wiltshire