As a community Edington has a great similarity to the Wiltshire strip parishes further to the east, extending up to the edges of Salisbury Plain and down to the fertile valley below. The area was first allocated to the Nuns at Romsey in 968 and it is likely that the first church was set up before the Norman conquest. Evidence of a later Norman church were found during restoration of the current structure.
(Edington, Wiltshire, Priory Church of St Mary, St Katherine and All Saints from the South West)
The current church of St Mary, St Katherine and All Saints was built between 1351 and 1361. It has remained largely as built since then, surviving both the ravages of the reformation which saw many fine churches quarried for their stone and the subsequent depredations by time. The church was associated with and built for a monastic house founded by Sir William Edington, a prominent cleric and administrator of the 14'th century. There are many mysteries surrounding the nature and history of the monastic house and the interested are referred to the history available in the church.
(Edington, Wiltshire, Priory Church of St Mary, St Katherine and All Saints, from the West)
After the reformation in 1539 many of the benefits of the 'living' became distributed amongst local landowners. Edington Priory Church being lucky in that they discharged the obligations that came with those benefits and continued to maintain the fabric of the church. During the 17'th century, the Lewis family, who held the old Monastic house, embarked on a major restoration and much of the statuary and detailing (such as the pink ceiling) date from this period.
Such a large church remained a major expense for the local community and again, by the end of the 19'th century, the church was in a state of much disrepair. Like many local churches it came under the care of the architect C.E Ponting who, with his customary attention, completed a major restoration in 1891. Another restoration took place in the 1950s.
(Edington, Wiltshire, Priory Church of St Mary, St Katherine and All Saints, nave looking East)
(Edington, Wiltshire, Priory Church of St Mary, St Katherine and All Saints, Sanctuary, crossing, chancel arch and screen)
(Edington, Wiltshire, Priory Church of St Mary, St Katherine and All Saints, looking west down the body of the nave)
The church is nationally regarded as an excellent survivor of the transition between the decorated style of architecture and the later perpendicular. For the visitor there is the immediate appreciation of the high arches, the vaulted and decorated ceilings, the chancel screen and the fine tombs. One of the tombs (in the South transept) retains its original decoration, speculation as to its dedication keeps both scholars and the curious well occupied.
(Edington, Wiltshire, Priory Church of St Mary, St Katherine and All Saints, South Transept looking South showing tomb, North Transept looking East)
(Edington, Wiltshire, Priory Church of St Mary, St Katherine and All Saints, screen door from both West and East)
(Edington, Wiltshire, Priory Church of St Mary, St Katherine and All Saints, chancel, monument and east window)
This church is normally open to visitors and was photographed for the Church Photographer in August 2010 by Nick Temple-Fry
