Wisley Church (C of E)

Beautiful
Apr 18th, 2022

If you visit the world-famous gardens at RHS Wisley, spare a little time to visit this church in the hamlet of Wisley a short distance to the north. The church is unusual in that it has no known dedication. While it has undergone some work in Victorian times, it is essentially a simple, unspoiled, tiny Norman church. The exterior has been plastered to preserve the stonework. In the churchyard, between the porch and the gate, is a precariously-leaning gravestone. Here are buried a couple, the Choats. At the 1899 death of Mrs Choat they had 160 direct descendants! The interior of the church is plain but not without interest. The chancel arch is Norman and as simple an example as you will ever see: no fancy carving here in this tiny rural church. The east window has glass by Pearson & Sons, one of the better stained glass producers. There are painted Dedication Crosses on the walls and, high beside the Victorian pulpit, is a Jacobean hour-glass holder, now rather charmingly repurposed to hold a trailing plant. The pews are mainly Victorian and copied from a surviving 1630 pew in the south west corner: the date is carved on it. Finally look up at the Queen Post roof, an unusual feature, and the wooden structure supporting the shingled spire. A leaflet in the church will inform you of the surprising history of the church and parish including links with the Black Prince.
Mar 9th, 2022

Jul 7th, 2021

Currently not open. Likely to be better when it is open.
Sep 25th, 2020

Dec 31st, 2019