Parish Church of St Andrew

Summary

Anglican parish church. C15; restored in c1854 when the chancel was largely rebuilt and the north aisle added; the latter attributed to architect R H Shout. Further restoration in 1889.

Reasons for Designation

The Church of St Andrew which dates from the C15 and underwent two phases of restoration in the mid-and late C19 is listed at Grade II* for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural interest: as an attractive example of small-scale Perpendicular architecture where the Victorian restoration work carefully harmonises with the medieval fabric;
* Intactness: it is very well preserved, with its internal fixtures and fittings intact;
* Fittings: for its congregational bench seating, some of which are considered to be C16.

History

St Andrew's Church dates mainly from the C15, although the presence of a C13 font within the church suggests that the site may have earlier origins. It was formerly a chapel of the neighbouring parish of Yetminster but was made a separate parish in the late 1840s. Although planned in 1850 the addition of the aisle, which was designed by Robert Howard Shout, was carried out in c1854. In 1861 the entrance on the south side was enlarged. The church underwent an extensive restoration at a cost of £949 in 1889, although the architect is not known. The main east window and the south window in the chancel were restored in 2009.

Details

Anglican parish church. C15; restored in c1854 when the chancel was largely rebuilt and the north aisle added; the latter attributed to architect R H Shout. Further restoration in 1889.

MATERIALS: coursed Forest Marble rubble stone with freestone dressings; chancel roof and south slope of nave are leaded, north slope is tiled, north aisle and porch are slated. Separate gabled roofs to nave and aisle, with valley gutter.

PLAN: three-bay nave, chancel (much rebuilt in C19), south porch and west tower of three stages. North aisle of c1854.

EXTERIOR: the general impression and massing is of a Perpendicular church. The C15 tower is attached to the west end, with a square stair turret at the north-east corner. Diagonal buttresses, embattled parapet with corner pinnacles, and string course at base of parapet with carved gargoyles. Also string courses at each stage, and a moulded plinth. The two-light belfry windows have Perpendicular tracery and stone louvres. The main west window is of three-lights with Perpendicular tracery and its hoodmould is continuous with the string course. The west doorway below has a pointed arch and is set in a square frame with spandrel carvings of three hanks of cord, a merchant's mark and the letters TM. The south wall of the nave, to the west of the porch, has a C19 Perpendicular three-light window with hoodmould and head stops. The gabled porch has a pointed arched doorway with hoodmould. To the east of the porch is a C15 two-light square-headed window with trefoiled lights; beyond, is a small rectangular high-level window to the rood loft, now blocked internally. Two-bay chancel with a C19 Perpendicular two-light window with hoodmould and head stops in both the south and north walls. The east windows to the chancel and north aisle are C19, of three-lights in a Perpendicular style, with hoodmould and head stops. The north aisle has a moulded parapet and a moulded string course with carved gargoyles below. There are diagonal and intermediate buttresses. There are three windows in the north wall, with segmental pointed arches and Perpendicular-style tracery, hoodmoulds and head stops.

INTERIOR: the interior is light, with rendered and painted walls, and exposed stone dressings. The aisle has a three-bay arcade to the nave with broad, four-centred arches on octagonal columns with moulded caps. Its east window depicts Christ with St Mary Magdalene and dates from 1900. The aisle has a C19 arch-braced collar beam roof with carved stone corbels. The organ is accommodated in south-west corner of nave. The east window to the nave depicts Christ between St Mary and St John and dates from c 1850 and was restored in 2009; the south chancel window was restored at the same time. The chancel arch has continuous mouldings and caps. The chancel has a C19 trussed rafter roof with curved braces, and the nave a C19 double arch-braced, collar-beam roof. The tower arch is C15 and has continuous mouldings with no caps.

PRINCIPAL FIXTURES: C13 plain, circular font with tapering bowl set on a C19 base. Bench seating mostly C19, but includes three with shaped ends and terminals with spiral ornament; and others with plain, square-headed ends, possibly C16. The benches appear to have been moved over the years. Bench in the aisle has an elongated end with a carving of St Andrew and a poppy-head finial, reputedly from St Nicholas' Church, Hilfield.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

106061

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
An Inventory of the Historical Monuments of Dorset: Volume 1 , (1952), 130-1
Pevsner, N, Newman, J, The Buildings of England: Dorset, (1972), 251

Websites
Liegh, St Andrew, accessed from http://www.churchplansonline.org/retrieve_results.asp?search_args=x%3DLEIGH%7Cl%3DLEIGH%7Cc%3DDorset

Other
Architectural History Practice, 'Rediscovering our Parish Churches' English Heritage and the Diocese of Salisbury Partnership Project, 2009,

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.