Church of St Aldhelm

ST CHURCH OF ST ALDHELM, BELCHALWELL

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Overview

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II*
List Entry Number:
1216309
Date first listed:
04-Oct-1960
List Entry Name:
Church of St Aldhelm
Statutory Address:
ST CHURCH OF ST ALDHELM, BELCHALWELL
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Date:
2003-04-08
Reference:
IOE01/06967/15
Rights:
© Dr Barry Senior. Source: Historic England Archive

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II*
List Entry Number:
1216309
Date first listed:
04-Oct-1960
List Entry Name:
Church of St Aldhelm
Statutory Address 1:
ST CHURCH OF ST ALDHELM, BELCHALWELL

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:
ST CHURCH OF ST ALDHELM, BELCHALWELL

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

District:
Dorset (Unitary Authority)
Parish:
Okeford Fitzpaine
National Grid Reference:
ST 79247 09803

Details

OKEFORD FITZPAINE BELCHALWELL
ST 70 NE
9/101 CHURCH OF ST ALDHELM,
Belchalwell
4.10.60
GV II*
Church, formerly the parish church of Belchalwell. South door and part of
south nave wall c.l190; nave arcade, south tower, porch, parts of chancel
and north aisle windows C15; south tower window C18; east and west walls
and north aisle wall late Cl9. Squared coursed rubble, ashlar, banded stone
and rubble. Gable eased tiled roofs with stone coping. Plan: nave, chancel,
north aisle, south tower and south porch. C15 and C19 work in the
'perpendicular' style but with a late Norman south door. South tower of
2 stages with diagonal 2 stage buttress; embattled parapet; octagonal
north east vice turret to first stage with stone roof terminating in
gargoyle finial; plinth; string courses. Above buttresses are corner
standards with moulded bases and gargoyles. South tower wall has 2-centred h
window with no tracery and moulded label with carved head stops on first
stage. East tower wall has square 2-light 'perpendicular' tracery window
with stopped label. Second stage has 3 2-light square headed 'perpendicular'
windows with stopped labels. North face has similar single light window.
North aisle and north and south chancel windows of 2-cinqufoiled lights with
'perpendicular' tracery with squared heads under stopped labels. West nave
window; Cl9 of 2-lights under 2-centred head with 'perpendicular' tracery
under returned label. 2 stage weathered buttress. North aisle east window
of 3-lights, 'perpendicular' tracery under segmental head with stopped
label. East chancel window of 3-lights, 'perpendicular' tracery under
2-centred head. North aisle has blocked door and chancel has south door
with pointed segmental head. South porch has diagonal buttress the outer
door being 2-centred with continuously moulded jambs. South doorway has a
2-centred outer arch and segmental pointed tympanum arch. Outer arch has
chevron decoration and a label with dog-tooth and nailheads terminating in
head-stops. Responds have shafts with leaf capitals. Interior: 3 bay
nave arcade with 4-centred moulded arches bearing traces of painting. Piers
with 4 attached shafts separated by hollow chamfer and moulded bases and
capitals. 2-centred tower arch with blind tracery. Squint from south
tower to chancel. Roofs, nave probably Cl9 arch braced collar with tie
beam and cusped vertical struts from tie-beams to principals. Chancel has
pointed, fielded, ribbed roof having single collar with small arch braces.
North aisle has arched braced roof with tie-bean. Door to tower vice of
3-planks with wrought iron strap hinges. C17, fielded pulpit with arabesques.
C20 font. Other fittings mainly C19. "RCHM, Dorset vol. III", pp 202-3,
no 2. Newman,J and Pevsner, N, "The Buildings of England; Dorset",
Penguin, 1972, p 89.


Listing NGR: ST7924709803

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:
102602
Legacy System:
LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Inventory of Dorset, (1970), 202-203
Pevsner, N, Newman, J, The Buildings of England: Dorset, (1972), 89

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 Church of St Aldhelm

Map

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 06-Jun-2026 at 11:02:55.

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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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