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The Hall was built c.1704 but was remodelled in the mid-19th century. The road out of the village runs in front in what appears to be a giant ha-ha. This is so successful that only the highest lorries can be seen from the gardens.
©Kate Jewell
Dist:0.3km north<br/>This shows the carved frieze of quartrefoils and shields with a string course decorated with flowers and animal masks. See [[613536]], also [[613460]] for a brief history of this church.
©Kate Jewell
Dist:0.3km north<br/>Here you can see the south aisle and transept. The remains of the south porch, which was demolished sometime before 1774, can be seen including its roof line. The south gable of the transept had a large four light window. The alarming rake of the window jambs is not a photographic allusion but real which leads one to believe that the west end of the church was slipping down the slope of the hill. You can just make out a large crack in the masonry beneath the cill. See [[613460]] for a brief history of the building.
©Kate Jewell
Dist:0.3km north<br/>Beautiful Church, Churchyard still in use occasionally.
©Carolyn Mansfield
Dist:0.3km north<br/>This shows the blocked up east window. There must have been a serious collapse of the window as there is little evidence of its shape. Note the shape of the hill that the church was built on. Maybe this has something to do with the disintegration of the structure. See [[613460]] for a brief history of the church.
©Kate Jewell
Dist:0.3km north<br/>Looking down the nave from the bell tower to the chancel. There are two metal ties across the width of the chancel which were put in place sometime before the church was abandoned in an attempt to stabilise the building. The reason for and the date of the blocking up of the east window is unknown. See [[613460]] for the history of the church.
©Kate Jewell
Dist:0.3km north<br/>This church was originally built, supposedly on Saxon remains, in the early 12th century and added to until 1450 when it reached its largest size with a nave, chancel, tower, a porch on the south side, two aisles and two transepts. By 1774 the structure was becoming unsound and the north aisle and transept were demolished, the arcade being filled in to provide a new external wall. The church was used up until 1892 when the new neo-gothic St John the Divine came into service in the centre of the village. The roof and interior fittings were removed shortly after this date and from 1898 until the late 20th century the fabric of the building deteriorated. It is thought that the church's collapse was caused by the unstable nature of the ground due to it being built over the remains of several previous buildings. It is supposed that it once stood in the centre of Colston Bassett but that the old village was abandoned after the Black Death in 1349 and moved down the hill to its present location although there are no indications on the site of previous building. The graveyard is still used for burials. The church is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and is listed grade 1 in the "List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest" and was consolidated and made safe with Heritage Lottery funding under the auspices of English Heritage, the work being completed in 2004. See my other photographs for further details.
©Kate Jewell
Dist:0.3km north<br/>This shows some of the fine 15th century stone carving on the tower, see [[613544]]. The tower had been added by the mid 13th century and was heightened in the mid 15th century to accommodate a belfry. Note the stone rain water drip edge which marks the line of the south aisle roof. The lead spouts were installed in 1937 to avoid erosion of the gargoyles and these were replaced at the same time as the tower roof in 1999. See [[613460]] for a brief history of the church.
©Kate Jewell
Dist:0.3km north<br/>The north aisle and transept were demolished in 1774, presumably because they were unsafe. The north arcade was subsequently filled in to create the external wall. The windows constructed to light the nave are of a fashionable Georgian design based on the style of the contemporary architect James Gibbs. See [[613460]] for a brief history of the church.
©Kate Jewell
Dist:0.3km north<br/>Looking from the chancel towards the bell tower. The old 13th century and "new" 15th century roof lines can be clearly seen on the tower wall. The north aisle and transept were demolished in 1774 and the arcade filled in leaving window openings to light the nave. In the 14th century the tower was increased in height to accommodate a belfry. The remaining timbers of the present bell frame originate from 1609. see [[613460]] for a brief history of the church.
©Kate Jewell
Dist:0.3km north<br/>The view E-SE from St Mary's Churchyard.
©Kate Jewell
Dist:0.3km north<br/>A small stone bridge over the River Smite. See [[613575]] and [[613574]]. The lane, I presume, was named after the old village sheep dipping pit but there appears to be no trace of this. The ruined [[613460]] is on the hill straight ahead.
©Kate Jewell
Dist:0.4km north<br/>Looking south from the lane on a damp day.
©John Sutton
Dist:0.4km north<br/>This clearly shows the stages of the building of the tower. The early 13th century part is in rough blocks of blue lias limestone in thin courses. The later 15th century addition uses a facing of more substantial blocks of white limestone. The large grave on the right is that of Andrew Basilico who died in 1824 aged 79 years. His wife, Sophia Charlotte is also buried here. She died in 1850 aged 67. See [[613460]] for a brief history of the church.
©Kate Jewell
Dist:0.4km north<br/>Standing on what is believed to be the site of the old village, St Mary's church became derelict from the 18th Century on, the village having moved across the valley. Substantial conservation work has been carried out to stabilise the ruins which are Grade I listed.
©Alan Murray-Rust

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