All Saints in Broad Chalke combines elements from the late 13th century with a chantry chapel founded in 1322, which is still known as Knighton Aisle.

Chalk Uplands and the River Ebble

Almost the entire parish of Broad Chalke consists of chalk uplands. The River Ebble flows eastwards through the village of Broad Chalke and through the parish; it is also a chalk stream. Two different scales therefore shape the view of the place: the parish’s landscape and a watercourse that runs specifically through the village as well.

Church Architecture and Religious History

All Saints was built around 1280 during the reign of Edward I. The chancel, north transept and part of the west wall, including the entrance, date from the late 13th century. The south transept took on a different function in 1322: John Alan of Knighton founded a chantry chapel there, which is still known as Knighton Aisle. This sequence distinguishes several phases of construction and use within one building, rather than reducing All Saints to a single construction date.

The original two-storey porch of All Saints had a finely vaulted barrel ceiling. Its upper part served as a room for a priest. A fragment of a Saxon cross-shaft is also located on the south wall of the nave. Terms such as chancel, transept and nave refer to different parts of the building, making it possible to associate dates and details with specific sections of the church.

Religious gatherings were already taking place in the parish of Broad Chalke in the 1770s. The Bicentenary Memorial Church in Broad Chalke was built in 1864 and designed by W. J. Stent of Warminster. Nearly six centuries separate the construction of All Saints around 1280 from that of the Bicentenary Memorial Church. These different construction dates and historical reference points thus stand side by side.

Early Traces and Local Craft

The burial mounds on Knowle Hill are considered evidence of early human activity in the parish of Broad Chalke. The Roman road from Old Salisbury to Dorchester runs along the parish and county boundary in the southeast and crosses the parish’s southeastern corner. Baskets were also made in Broad Chalke from willow rods grown within the parish; basket-making ended around 1920. The timeline therefore stretches from early human activity, through the route of the Roman road, to a local craft that ended around 1920.

Finding Your Way on Foot

Broad Chalke has numerous old footpaths. The Definitive Map records the routes of footpaths and bridleways. These details complement one another: the many old footpaths are a feature of the parish, while the map records specific routes and covers bridleways as well as footpaths. When preparing a walk, you can first choose the type of route you want and then check its recorded course. In this way, general orientation using the old footpaths and checking individual routes are two distinct planning steps.

Discover more destinations: Staverton, Pewsey, Corsham, Sherston, Castle Combe, Bratton, Purton, Marlborough

For the broader travel overview: Wiltshire.