St Mary, St Katharine & All Saints
Edington, Wiltshire
With its unusual dedication to St Mary, St Katharine & All Saints, Edington's battlemented church is of a size and splendour out of all proportion to the quiet little village in which it stands.
St James's church stands in a coombe to the south of the village, having been built to serve also the nearby hamlet of Littlestoke which vanished about 600 years ago. It can be reached by road (there is a small area for parking) or along Church Steps, a footpath with two long flights of steps down to and up from a stream (Solcombe Water).
The present church dates mainly from about 1400 AD. The tower stands on the foundations of an earlier, probably Norman, tower and the proportions of the nave and chancel suggest an even earlier Saxon church enlarged at a later date by the addition of aisles and transepts. As well as much of the main fabric, there are many 15th century details notably the gargoyles above the aisle roofs and on the tower. The chancel was rebuilt in 1854 in imitation of the Early English style on the line of the old foundations. An excellent historical guide is available in the church.
There is a peal of six bells which are rung for main Sunday morning services.