Bemerton

The small St Andrew's Church, built in flint and local limestone, is described by Historic England as "a substantial survival of the form and fabric of a small Medieval village church".[3] A chapel of St Andrew at Bemerton was recorded in 1286, and is known to be dependent on St Peter's, Fugglestone by 1340.[4] The present building is from the 14th century, although a blocked round-arched door survives from a Norman church.[3][5]

The church has become known for its association with the poet and priest George Herbert (1593–1633). He was appointed rector in 1630 and immediately set about restoring the dilapidated church and its rectory. Herbert's only prose work, A Priest to the Temple (usually known as The Country Parson), offers practical advice to rural clergy. Already ill on his appointment, he died in 1633 aged 39 and was buried at the church.[3]

Repairs and alterations were made in 1776, in 1866 (by T.H. Wyatt) and more thoroughly in 1894–6 by C.E. Ponting, thus little of the early building remains.[3] The small bell-turret was added in the late 18th century.[4]

Stained glass window at St Andrew's church, Bemerton, of Nicholas Ferrar and George Herbert

Ponting's restoration added interior fittings in 17th-century style. The 1943 west window depicting Herbert and his friend Nicholas Ferrar is by Townshend and Howson.[3][6] The church was recorded as Grade II* listed in 1952[3] and services are still held there, although it has only about 30 seats.[7]

The church of St Michael and All Angels, built in yellow brick with an apsidal chancel, was consecrated in 1957.[4][8] A district named St Michael had been formed in the north of Bemerton in 1938, taken partly from Fugglestone with Bemerton parish and partly from Fisherton Anger;[9] in 1968, St Michael's parish was merged into Bemerton parish.[10]

St John's Church, Bemerton

St John's Church was built at Lower Road in 1861, 250 yards west of St Andrew's, as the main church for the parish of Fugglestone with Bemerton, since St Andrew's was too small. It was closed in 2010 and declared redundant.[11] After renovation, the building was reopened in 2016 as a community centre and events venue, and is also used by the nearby St John primary school. A registered charity operates it under the name St John's Place.[12]

The church was designed by T.H. Wyatt in 13th-century style, using local limestone and greensand stones. Finance came from Robert Herbert, 12th Earl of Pembroke and from American admirers of George Herbert.[13] There is one large bell cast by Mears in 1860.[4] The stained glass is from various 19th-century dates, including an early window by Kempe, 1878. Pevsner writes that the interior has "a multitude of well carved naturalistic foliage capitals".[14] Restoration in 1896 by C.E. Ponting included the installation of a fine oak reredos. The building was recorded as Grade II* listed in 1952.[13]

The ancient parish of Fugglestone St Peter, or Fugglestone with Bemerton, included Quidhampton tithing.[15] The ecclesiastical parish was unaffected by the breakup of the civil parish in 1894, but was reduced in size in stages in the next century. The parish was renamed Bemerton with Fugglestone in 1969 to reflect the growth in population of Bemerton,[16] and a reorganisation in 1972 saw St Peter's church transfer to Wilton parish, leaving an enlarged Bemerton parish,[17] which continues today.[18]

Bemerton Village is an inner-city area west of Fisherton and south of Wilton Road, with the River Nadder forming its southern boundary. The Churchfields industrial estate, which has several car dealerships, is nearby in St Paul's ward.

Lower Bemerton is a largely residential suburb east of Bemerton Heath and northwest of St Pauls. A Catholic church, St Gregory and The English Martyrs, is here.[22]

Bemerton Heath is a council estate on the northwestern fringe of Salisbury, north of Wilton Road and southwest of the A360. The area is home to Bemerton Heath Harlequins F.C., as well as a few businesses and a post office.