Parish Church of Saint James

PARISH CHURCH OF SAINT JAMES, WEST STREET

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Overview

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
I
List Entry Number:
1120984
Date first listed:
20-Nov-1959
List Entry Name:
Parish Church of Saint James
Statutory Address:
PARISH CHURCH OF SAINT JAMES, WEST STREET
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Date:
2006-03-05
Reference:
IOE01/15293/32
Rights:
© Rev Andrew Salmon. Source: Historic England Archive

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
I
List Entry Number:
1120984
Date first listed:
20-Nov-1959
List Entry Name:
Parish Church of Saint James
Statutory Address 1:
PARISH CHURCH OF SAINT JAMES, WEST STREET

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:
PARISH CHURCH OF SAINT JAMES, WEST STREET

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:
Dorset (Unitary Authority)
Parish:
Corfe Castle
National Grid Reference:
SY9555579552

Details

CORFE CASTLE WEST STREET, KINGSTON
SY 95 79
(South side)
6/192
Parish Church of Saint James
20.11.59
GV I
Anglican Parish Church. Built c 1880 for 3rd Earl of Eldon. Architect G E Street.
Ashlar stone walls, with chamfered plinth - moulded round apse. String course
under window cills. Stone slate roofs with coped gables. In C13 style, showing
French influence. Nave with north and south aisles of 4 bays, and clerestory;
crossing with central tower, north and south transepts - vestry east of north
transept; apsidal sanctuary, west narthex. Tower, of 2 stages above roof, has
moulded parapet with stepped coping and cornice with wide billet ornament. In
belfry, a triple arcade on each face has the 2 outer arches blank, the centre with
a louvred window. Angle buttresses to lower stage, circular angle shafts to belfry.
String courses to each stage. In ringing chamber each face has a trefoil-headed
lancet. West gable wall has shallow buttresses. Large rose window. Narthex
below this, with lean-to roof, has open arcade (now glazed) of 7 bays, with
pointed arches on circular columns. Doorways at each end. Single lancets in
west walls of aisles. Nave aisles have, in clerestory, 4 pairs of lancets
separated by shallow buttresses. Aisles have similar lancets, separated by gabled
buttresses. East of the north transept a circular stair turret with conical cap
and surface moulding in lattice pattern. Vestry east of this has twin gables on
each face, with lancets at 2 levels. Apsidal sanctuary has lancets separated by
gabled buttresses. Single lancet in east wall of south transept. In south wall,
a triple lancet in sunk panel, pointed arched, with hoodmould. In west wall a
circular window with quatrefoil tracery. Internally, nave has pointed waggon type
roof with exposed rafters, and wind-bracing. Simple timber lean-to aisle roofs.
Quadripartite vaults to crossing and transepts, sexpartite vault to sanctuary.
Nave arcade has Pubeck marble piers with attached shafts, stiff-leaf capitals
and moulded arches with dog-tooth ornament. Crossing arches similar, with moulded
capitals. Rere-arches to windows, with Purbeck marble shafts. Sedilia and piscina
in sanctuary. Encaustic tile floor. Stained glass by Clayton and Bell. Wrought
iron chancel and parclose screens. Wrought iron pulpit on stone base. Stone font -
quatrefoil shape, on Purbeck marble base. (All these fittings by Street). Main
west door with fine ironwork, flanked by 2 smaller openings, from narthex. In
sanctuary, 2 marble monuments by Chantry to first Earl and Countess of Eldon,
dated 1832 and 1831 (moved from Old Church). In south transept, 2 simple tablets
to second Earl and his daughter, dated 1854 and 1864 - also from the Old Church.
An outstanding and unspoiled Gothic Revival Church (J Newman and N Pevsner.
Buildings of England. Dorset. p. 243).


Listing NGR: SY9555579552

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:
109345
Legacy System:
LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, Newman, J, The Buildings of England: Dorset, (1972), 243

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.

Ordnance survey map of Parish Church of Saint James

Map

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 23-Jun-2026 at 07:54:16.

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© Crown copyright [and database rights] 2026. OS AC0000815036. Use of this mapping is subject to Terms and Conditions.

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.

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