The Church of England church of All Saints with St. Mary was built in 1861 on a piece of land given for the purpose by Walter Long Esq. It replaced two earlier churches, one in each of the Chitterne parishes, both of which were demolished except for their chancels. Only the chancel of St. Mary’s church now remains.

The Nave

The foundation stone of the new church was laid by the Venerable Archdeacon Macdonald, vicar, on the 13th of August, 1861, in the presence of Geo. Richards, curate, Henry Hitchcock, William Wallis, John Titt and Frederic Lavington, churchwardens, the architect T.H.Wyatt and Solomon Gayton, the builder. It was consecrated by the Bishop of Salisbury on the 4th of November, 1862. The Rev. George Richards was the new vicar, Archdeacon Macdonald having died in the meantime.

The building cost £2404, the money being raised as follows:-

Archdeacon Macdonald, late vicar £ 100..0..0
Walter Long, Esq   200..0..0
Rev. Geo. Richards, curate   100..0..0
Ditto when vicar    50..0..0
Dean and Chapter of Salisbury   100..0..0
Miss Richards (by work, bazaars and collections)   400..0..0
Church Societies   350..0..0
Raised on the Church rates   500..0..0
Other subscriptions   604..0..0
Total £2404..0..0

Artefacts from the old Churches used in the New

All the stone and timber from the old churches, where suitable, was used in the building of the new, also the paving and flooring. A three light window from the south wall of St. Marys church and two three light windows from the south wall of All Saints church, plus one two light window from the north wall of the same, were re-used. The gothic screen that separated the nave from the chancel in St. Marys was erected in the new church and the carved panels from St. Marys pulpit were used again. The ancient font came from All Saints. The font is probably Norman in origin, given the simple design, and the oak cover was made by James Townsend in 1767. There are five bells; three of them came from the old St Mary’s Church and the remaining two were recast from the three bells of the old All Saints Church by G. Mears & Co. of London in 1862.

The Bells of Chitterne All Saints with St Mary Church

The peal, with inscriptions, is as follows:

  • Tenor 6cwt (305kg) B Wm. Tinker & Mr Jno. Compton Ch. Wardens Jas. Burrough Bellfounder in Devizes Fecit 1754
  • IV 5cwt (255kg) C# Wm. Tinker & Mr Jno. Compton Ch. Wardens Jas. Burrough Bellfounder in Devizes fecit 1754
  • III 4.5cwt (230kg) D# IHON BAR BVR ME MADE
  • II 4cwt 12lbs (210kg) E G. Mears & Co. Founders London 1862
  • Treble 3cwt 3qu 16lbs (200kg) F# G. Mears & Co. London Founders 1862

The third bell is over 600 years old! Its founder, John Barbur, a brazier, was a freeman of the City of Salisbury whose will is dated 1403.

The Churchyard

The land surrounding the new church could not be used for burials as it proved to be too wet. The two old graveyards of All Saints and St. Mary’s are still in use. The village memorial to the men of Chitterne who fought in two world wars stands in front of the church. It was unveiled by Vice-Admiral Charles Napier of Chitterne House in 1920.

More Recent Additions

Rev. Herbert Rogers, vicar of Chitterne 1895 – 1900, carved the lectern.

The window at the end of the south side-aisle was given in 1919 by the Hayward family, formerly of Chitterne House, in honour of those men of Chitterne who gave their lives in the first World War. The brass plaque beneath commemorates those men. A second brass plaque, which commemorates the men of Chitterne who fell in the second World War, was dedicated on 30 May 1948.

A ‘new’ second-hand pipe organ was found by the Diocesan Organ Advisor free of charge for Chitterne Church. It was originally built by Henry Willis and sons of Hereford in 1968 for Laleham Abbey Convent in Middlesex. Since 1980 it had been installed in a house near Cheltenham, but as the convent was closing the organ became available. In 1992 John Coulson and sons, organ builders of Bristol offered the organ free of charge except for the cost of refurbishment and installation: £5500 plus VAT. This amount was raised by fund-raising and donations. A new similar organ would have cost between £45,000 and £50,000 in 1992. The refurbished organ was installed in the church between the 10th and 18th of May 1993 by Paul Hopkins of Bristol.

A new heating system was installed in the church at the beginning of 1997.

On January 5th 2003 the new Archdeacon of Sarum, The Venerable Alan Jeans, rededicated the newly repaired Church clock. After extensive renovations the striking mechanism was in working order for the first time in many years and the clock was telling the time once again. The works were made possible by the generosity and hard work of the villagers of Chitterne to raise the funds needed at the Flower Festival held the previous summer.

In May 2010 preparations for the upcoming 150th anniversary of the consecration of the church began with the launch of Chitterne Kneeler Project by Sarah Gooch, Marcelle Stobie and Ann Moody. Designs for a selection of individual kneelers were created by Ann Moody, a Chitterne needlepointer, based on the patterns of the Minton tiles in the church. Ann also designed kneelers for in front of the altar rails; two 9ft. 6ins long with a rectangular central section. These designs were based on the carvings made by Herbert Rogers on the lectern. Ladies of the village and some from further afield agreed to make at least one individual kneeler each. Some of these same women met in the village hall most Fridays to stitch the large kneelers.

2011 saw further preparations for the anniversary with new gold carpet replacing the old red on the altar steps, and new gold curtains behind the altar made by Jo Major of Chitterne Lodge.

On 23rd November 2023 the church clock was reinstated after a restoration project lasting several months. The clock mechanism was restored by David Pollard who oversaw the project. Wiltshire Steeplejacks repainted the clockface Trafalgar Blue and renewed the gilding on the hands and numerals in 22ct gold.