Box Cemetery Chapel, Box, Wiltshire, SN13 (Grade II)

ST 8268 BOX BATH ROAD (south side)

3/29 Box Cemetery Chapel

Cemetery chapel, 1857 by Poulton and Woodman of Reading, crazed rubble banded in ashlar with stone tiled roof, sawtooth ridge, coped gables and cross finials. Rectangular plan with projecting north porch and south vestry and north-west needle spire. Unusually elaborate Gothic with highly carved window tracery and virtuoso display of contrasting stonework. Raised plinth, moulded string course ashlar corbelled eaves. Two 2-light ashlar windows each side, with carved angel supporter between pointed heads and overall pointed arch in flush alternating rock-faced and ashlar voussoirs. Below, under string course, ashlar panel of 2 ornate quatrefoils. North porch has pointed arch with hood, 2 pierced trefoil openings each side, pointed-arched inner doorway and scissor-truss roof. South vestry has 2-light south window, similar to those on main chapel and 2 pierced quatrefoil openings on west side. East end with highly ornate traceried 4-light window with hoodmould, head stops and cusped trefoil with hood in gable apex. String course stepped under window with 3 inset ashlar panels below. West end has even more ornate 5-light window with hood, apex trefoil and 3 sunk panels below. Buttress to right and, to left, flying buttress to base of octagonal spirelet with stepped buttressing on 4 cardinal faces reaching up into octagonal bell stage. Diagonal faces have various ornamental details below long bell lancets with cusped heads, heads repeated over buttress tops on cardinal faces and zig-zag hood all around at base of ashlar spire, pierced with small quatrefoils half-way up and capped with iron finial.