Church of St Mary, Halford

1 Chancel, nave with N porch, S aisle, and a tower W of the aisle. Nave of c1150, as shown by the chancel arch and two doorways. Chancel possibly 13th century but has been much altered. Nave lengthened in the 13th century and the W wall built, and shortly afterwards (c1270) the S aisle was added, with the tower W of it. In modern times the arcade has been rebuilt. The N porch may be of the 17th or 18th century. Drastic restorations in 1862 and 1883. 14th century font with 16th century cover.
2 Plan of the church.
3 Photograph of the south door.
4 The church possesses a Norman tympanum (in the N doorway) which is the best piece of Norman sculpture in the county. Inside the church is a Norman chancel arch.
5 Photograph.
6 Listed Building description.
7 OS card.
8 A watching brief was carried out (Nov 1994), during the excavation of drainage channels and soakaways. No archaeological features were identified within the churchyard but fragments of disarticulated human bone were noted in the soakaway to the south of the church. An area below the floor of the south aisle was investigated prior to the replacement of several floorboards and some disarticluated bones were discovered in a possible shallow grave. Building recording was carried out around the parapet of the tower roof and two re-used architectural fragements were recorded in detail.
9 The first recorded rector of Halford was inducted at Easter 1150. This was a few years after the stone church, of which parts still remain, was built, and there may have been an earlier, probably timber building on the same site.
10 General description of the village.
12 Grafitti on the lead roof of the church was surveyed prior to the reconstruction of the bell-frame and restoration of the tower, in 1993. 151 items of grafitti were idenitfied, located on seventeen separate lead sheets. The earliest dated grafitti was from 1703. The grafitti at Halford were recorded through drawings, black and white photographs and, where possible, rubbings.