Another of the close clustered villages of the Vale of Pewsey, Wilsford is a small Wiltshire Community centred on the Church of St Nicholas. Here again we have a strip parish, scarce a mile wide, extending from its bounds against the infant Avon and away to the south onto the northern marches of Salisbury Plain. An area of old civilisation and modern tranquillity, the downs hold evidence of neolithic man and the area has been the home to communities through roman and saxon times to the current day.
Records exist of a church here in the 12'th century, though little evidence of this can be found in the in the current structure save perhaps for a doorway in the north wall of the nave. The chancel is a nicely preserved example of 13'th century church architecture retaining original features. In the 14'th century a chapel was built onto the north wall of the church, the arch to this remains but after a varied history as both school and bakehouse the chapel was demolished in the 1950's. The tower is 15'th century and coincident with this the walls of the nave were significantly rebuilt. Partial rebuilding occurred during the 19'th century when the church was regarded as being in a state of considerable dilapidation, the pews and other woodwork largely date from this period and in 1963 a major restoration was completed.
The church sits in a fair sized graveyard with mature trees to the South and West and a mainly open aspect across the lowland fields to the east. This church is usually open.
Photographed in July 2010 for theChurchPhotographer by Nick Temple-Fry.
