Churches

St Margaret, Chippenham

First appeared in Let's Talk! Cambridgeshire, September 2004

In early 1943, as Allied forces stepped up the war in north Africa, a young RAF flier died "piloting his night fighter off Algiers".

In those dark days of war, many families were plunged into mourning. Few had the money or influence to have a chapel in their local church dedicated to their lost loved one.

The Tharp family of Chippenham, however, had owned the estate and much of the village since 1791, when as mill-owners they reclaimed much of the land, creating rich farms from sodden fen. The 20-year-old pilot, John Tharp, was only the last of many of his family to have memorials erected in the village church.

The Tharp Chapel was once the chapel of the Knights Hospitaller, a rich order of crusaders and pilgrims, perhaps less well remembered than the Knights Templar, but once of at least equal importance. In the 13 th century, when St Margaret's church was built, the Hospitallers were a major power across Europe , and Chippenham was one of their chief English communities.

St Christopher takes directions from his divine passenger

Their church, however, suffered a serious fire in 1446, and it was after the rebuilding that the north wall was decorated with the paintings that make you draw breath as you walk in.

Most striking is a large St Christopher, peering at you between the pillars of the aisle arcade, which themselves have traces of medieval paintwork.

Less obvious, but more intriguing, is a fragment showing the martyrdom of St Erasmus.

Like St George and St Margaret, Erasmus was a victim of the Roman emperor Diocletian's savage persecution of Christians. He is shown having his intestines dragged out by winding round a capstan.

Disembowelling by capstan - the horrible death of St Erasmus

St Erasmus, also known as St Elmo, might have been a significant presence in the treacherous fenlands of 15th-century Chippenham.

The so-called St Elmo's fire, a blue light caused by electrical activity around ships' masts before and after storms, was thought to show the influence of St Erasmus protecting sailors. It was also associated with the igniting of marsh gases that could light up a fen fog. No doubt if it helped guide you home, it was St Erasmus's work - if it lured you into danger or death, it was the devil's.

The painting is rather squeezed in between what appears to be a 16th-century window and the springing of the arch that marks the Tharp Chapel. It was probably whitewashed or plastered over before either was added.

All the wall-paintings were cleaned and restored in the 1970s. One, a large figure of St Michael, was taken down for repair. As it was being replaced in its original site, it fell and smashed in pieces.