The crossing tower and spire collapsed, falling north and east, destroying the chancel and the east end of the south aisle[1]. The rebuilding of the aisle was done with classical Tuscan columns, the tower and chancel of Gothic Survival architecture, which along with the reconstruction of the north transept, was complete by around 1650.
The replacement (current) tower is of Perpendicular style, with strong vertical lines and details in Decorated style, making this a truly Gothic tower. It is a 4 stage tower, which has setback buttresses with attached pinnacles on the offsets, with a crenellated parapet with more pinnacles on the corners[2].
The original tower was "a fine, high steeple which stood on four pillars in the middle of the church", according to John Aubrey[3]. He goes on to say that one of the pillars was faulty, but that the churchwardens were slow to act.
Marsh[4] quotes from the Extracts from Wilts Quarter Sessions Records:
"On 8 January 1638-9 the parishioners of Calne petition the Justices to apply to the King for a general collection to assist them in rebuilding the church. They had contracted for the repair of the tower and steeple, which was much decayed, but it appeared that the pillars were unsound when first built, being of freestone, and the greatest part being filled with ill-made mortar and small stones, and the tower being too weighty for them suddenly fell on 25th Sept. and with the fall the bells beat down all the chancel with its side chapels and the north and south transepts, and a great part of the body of the church, all of which before was very strong and substantially built, and what remains is much shaken and it is conceived must all be taken down. The cost will be £3000 at the least."
There is a fine tradition of associating architect Inigo Jones with this event. It seems that it is from John Aubrey that we get the anecdote when he relates to us:
"Chivers, Esq. of that parish, foreseeing the fall of it, if not prevented, and the great charge they must be at by it, brought down Mr. Inigo Jones to survey it. This was about 1639 or 1640 : he gave him 30 li. out of his own purse for his panics. Mr. Jones would have underbuilt it for an hundred pounds."
Then Aubrey goes on to write that that the tower fell down around 1645. As all of these dates are after the actual fall, it looks likely that Inigo Jones was perhaps not truly associated with St. Mary's as there doesn't seem to be any evidence for his involvement. However, perhaps Aubrey got the dates for Jones' visit right, but the reason wrong? Perhaps Jones was designing the replacement tower and chancel, rather than surveying the original tower with a view to underpinning it?
It's so enticing to think that such a significant, some say genius, architect could have been involved with this terrible and disruptive period of the church's history: so perhaps we should think on the positive side - after all, we do know he rebuilt Wilton House after a fire there in 1647.
Thank you to Jane Ridgwell for bringing this interesting piece of local history to my attention.
References:
[1] Pevsner, N., 1975. The Buildings of England, Wiltshire. 2nd ed. China: Yale University Press.
[2] CHURCH OF ST MARY, Calne - 1271365 | Historic England. 2019. CHURCH OF ST MARY, Calne - 1271365 | Historic England. [ONLINE] Available at: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1271365. [Accessed 10 February 2019].
[3] Aubrey, J., 1847. The Natural History of Wiltshire. London: Wiltshire Topographical Society.
[4] Marsh, A., 1903. A HISTORY OF THE BOROUGH AND TOWN OF CALNE. 1st ed. London: HAZELL, WATSON AND VINEY, LTD.
