St James's Church, Ashley

St James's is the small parish church of Ashley, a small village north-east of Tetbury. It is a Norman foundation, rebuilt in parts in about 1200 and in 1848, and its south doorway, carved in patterns of dogtooth and horseshoes, is the best thing in it. It is listed Grade II*.

History

The church's listing gives it a Norman foundation, with the south aisle rebuilt in about 1200, the upper stage of the tower added in the fifteenth century and the chancel rebuilt in 1848; the north and east windows were replaced in the nineteenth century. Ashley was a Wiltshire parish until 1930, and its church still belongs to the diocese of Bristol and the Braydon Brook benefice, whose office is in Malmesbury, rather than to the Gloucestershire parishes round about.

What to look for

Go in by the south porch to see the Norman doorway. Its lintel and the tympanum above it are cut all over with dogtooth and horseshoe diapering, under a roll-moulded arch on side shafts with scalloped capitals, the shafts cut short where they meet the stone seats of the porch. Then look for:

• The two-stage tower, its fifteenth-century upper stage embattled and carrying gargoyles
• The Early English arcade of three bays on the south side, on clustered shafts with carved foliage capitals
• The rere-arch of the east window, with marble side shafts, and the chancel roof of four shallow bays on long carved corbels
• Several fine stone wall tablets in the south aisle, mostly of the eighteenth century

Two unidentified monuments in the churchyard, about 3m south-east of the porch, are listed in their own right, at Grade II.

Visiting

St James's is a working parish church in the Braydon Brook benefice. A Church Near You lists Evening Prayer here at 6pm on the first Sunday of the month, but no opening hours, so it may be locked; ring the benefice office on 01666 825019 before a special trip. The doorway is inside the porch, so you can see it even if the church is closed.

Getting there

Ashley is reached by lanes north-east of Tetbury. We know of no car park, so park considerately in the village. On foot, the Tetbury and Ashley walk passes the end of the lane into the village, and its leaflet suggests a short detour along the lane to the church, retracing your steps to the junction before you go on towards the Monarch's Way.

Nearby

The Trouble House, on the Cirencester road, is the nearest pub, about 2km away. Back in Tetbury, St Mary's is the spire the walk aims for, and St Mary's at Beverston and St Catherine's at Westonbirt are the other old village churches round the town.