Details
WEYMOUTH
SY6780SE DORCHESTER ROAD
873-1/15/74 (East side)
14/06/74 Church of St Augustine
GV II
Roman Catholic parish church. c1835, refronted c1900 by
Jackson, and new sanctuary area built, extensive refurbishment
1970. Portland stone ashlar front on a brick backing, rendered
sides, brick sanctuary and apse, slate roof.
PLAN: plain 3-bay nave with small W gallery, intermediate
pre-sanctuary space, and sanctuary with flat apsidal apse; on
the N side are secondary rooms with lower roof level.
EXTERIOR: the front to Dorchester Road is in Roman Renaissance
style, in 2 storeys, the centre section brought forward, with
dentilled pediment, above a full entablature on Corinthian
corner pilasters, paired to the centre unit. A niche contains
a carved stone figure of St Augustine. The lower level has
plain wings and a rusticated centre section with an arched
doorway containing a pair of panelled doors under a fanlight,
on 2 steps. The plinth is moulded to the centre section, and
there is a plain mid band.
The sides are rendered and scribed, with plain eaves and
plastic rain-water goods. The left flank has three 30-pane
lights, plus a 16-pane to gallery level, above a blind light
and a small 4-pane; the lean-to extension has a panelled door
under 4-pane transom light. The right flank is similar, with 2
arched 12-pane lights in plain reveals to the centre section,
which is slightly set back and with lower eaves; beyond is the
brick-built C20 sanctuary, with a lead-covered apse, and 2
arched lights. Approx 10m from the front is a plank door in
broad pilasters, with a flat coping, crossing the side access.
INTERIOR: lobby has a blank arch to left, and to right a
dogleg stick stair with newel, the upper flight enclosed by
match-boarding. Nave has flat ceiling, plain plastered walls
with splayed window reveals and deep splayed sills, and
plastic flooring. W gallery, with panelled front, is carried
on 2 slender cast-iron columns.
The 2-bay pre-sanctuary space is framed in square Corinthian
pilasters to a proscenium, with central and quarter corner
pilasters. The ceiling in 6 compartments has a moulded
cornice, with dentils and modillions. To the right are the 2
arched lights in moulded architraves with keystone, ears, and
flared feet, on a moulded sill band. On the left is a door in
architrave. A second proscenium arch gives to the sanctuary
with a shallow altar recess to segmental head, flanked by flat
recessed arches, and with a sill band as in the centre
section. To the right are 2 arched lights with iron armature.
A simple moulded cornice.
FITTINGS: the altar is a plain stone slab on 4 stubby 'Doric'
legs, on 1+2 steps in polished marble. There is coloured glass
of 1970 in one window of the mid-section.
(Ricketts E: The Buildings of Old Weymouth: Melcombe Regis and
Westham: Weymouth: 1976-: 163).
Listing NGR: SY6793080488