Details
ST 6601 CERNE ABBAS ABBEY STREET, (east side)
11/45 Parish Church of
26.1.56 St Mary
GV I
Parish Church. C14 chancel, with east wall rebuilt C17, C15 and
early C16 aisle walls south porch partly rebuilt, west tower
within the body of the church, early C16. Clearstorey added
early C16. Wall above stone screen removed, and existing arch
built in 1870, when church restored under T H Wyatt. Recent
C20 restorations, nave roof. Stone and flint rubble walls,
with some ashlar and freestone dressings. Lead-covered roofs.
Chancel extends one bay east of aisles, north wall has single-
light window with trefoiled head, C14,and a blocked one in
south wall. 6-light east window, C15 reset. Aisles, 5 windows
to north aisle, and 4 windows to south aisle, of 3 lights in
Perpendicular form, later to west; windowsat east and west
ends of aisles, each of 3-lights. West tower, Ham stone
ashlar, of 3 stages, with octagonal buttresses, finials and
pinacles, string-courses, ornamented to second stage. Entrance
to church through west door, Perp. details, standards and
image brackets. 4-light west window. Bell-openings, 3-light
transomed and with 'Somerset' stone tracery. South porch has
a C15 outer archway with moulded jambs and 4-centred head.
Panel in the parapet with "C W Willi Tulledge, Tho Dussell,
1696", (date of restoration). Interior: 4 bay nave, with late
Perp. piers and pointed arches. Chancel-arch, 1870, formerly
solid wall. Roof: formerly of low pitch, with tie-beams and
short king-posts, rebuilt without ties, C20. Fittings: Font:
octagonal bowl with chamfered under edge, medieval, stem and
base modern. Pulpit: oak, octagonal with enriched rails and
cornice, sounding board, dated 1640. Stone screen to chancel,
6 lights each side and central doorway, C15. Wall-paintings,
chancel, four scenes from life of St John Baptist, Cl4. Cl7
paintings and inscription in north aisle. Monuments and wall-
tablets, extensive of Cl7 and C18. For further details of
fittings, refer to: (RCHM Dorset I, p74(1). F Pitfield,
Dorset Churches A-D, 157-160).
Listing NGR: ST6659301216
