The Church
The Church of St Mary the Virgin, Steeple Ashton, with its tall tower and many pinnacles, rises high above the picturesque village of Steeple Ashton and the surrounding area. The church, which has been described as 'a fairy castle awaiting a tournament' (Simon Jenkins) and 'a silvery battleship' (John Betjeman), is a magnificent example of the perpendicular style of architecture.
The tower, which dates from the early part of the 15th century, originally supported a tall steeple, which rose to a height of 186 ft above ground level, making it the tallest in the county except for Salisbury Cathedral. Unfortunately, in 1670 the spire was destroyed by lightning, which also claimed the lives of two workmen, and was not rebuilt.
As Sir Nicholas Pevsner described it, 'The Church fairly bristles with pinnacles, a gay and fantastical sight', however, he continued 'the keenest surprise of all at Steeple Ashton is the interior'. The visitor enters through the south porch with its sun dial and then through an ancient wooden door. Inside, the upper part of the nave is brightly lit by large clerestory windows above the roof of the aisles.
The ceilings of the aisles, chapels and chancel are of stone lierne vaulting, with delightful patterns of stars, squares, lozenges and bosses. The nave ceiling was clearly intended to be similar but, for some reason, was executed in wood. The aisle vaulting springs from shafts carried by canopied niches supported by a variety of boldly carved figures. The most striking of these, a bearded man, is over the north door.
The room over the south porch houses the Samuel Hey library, left to successive vicars in 1828. St. Mary's has one of the best organs in the area, a ring of six bells, an ancient clock and a wonderful sun dial.