Details
MELBURY SAMPFORD
ST 50 NE MELBURY HOUSE
Parish Church of
2/117
St Mary
11.11.66
I
GV
Parish Church and Ilchester Chapel. C15 chancel, crossing-tower with north
and south transepts, and nave. 1874, nave extended to west, involving
destruction of former west porch. 1878, further restoration. Coursed rubble
stone with ashlar Ham stone dressings. Embattled parapets, with C19 terminal
figures. Lead roofs. Chancel: east window of 3 cinquefoiled lights with
panel tracery in a pointed head, moulded reveals and label with returned stops.
North and south walls have windows of 2 cinquefoiled lights in square heads,
moulded reveals and labels. Central tower: of 2 stages with an embattled
parapet. Bell chamber has in each wall, window of 2 cinquefoiled lights with
a quatrefoil in a pointed head. Stone tracery, pierced to bell-openings.
Newel staircase, square externally, in the S.W. angle. North transept,
N window similar to the east window, now blocked by a monument. West wall
has a 2-light window. South transept: S window, of 3 cinquefoiled lights
with panel tracery, sub-panelled, and quatrefoil in head. Label with head-
stops. Nave: extended west in C19, has a C19 2-light window in N. and S.
walls. Reset window in the W. wall. West doorway has moulded jambs, two
centred arch in a square head, carved foliage spandrels. Label with head-stops.
Two-leaf plank door, with cusped panels and Y-tracery head, all C19. Interior:
Roofs: chancel has pointed-segmental compartmented roof with ribbed mouldings,
carried on moulded stone corbels. C19. Crossing has a C19 octagonal lantern
structure, glazed, carried on stone corbels. Nave has a C19 hammer-beam roof
of 3 bays, carried on carved stone corbels. Font: partly built into N. respond
of W. crossing-arch, five sides of octagonal bowl with quatrefoiled panels
enclosing paterae, panelled trumpet-stem with trefoil-headed panels, moulded
base, C15. Stained glass: in E. window, S. transept, W. window, C15 mainly
(RCHM). Monuments: two altar-tombs with canopies and alabaster effigies, both
C15, N. to William Browning; S. ascribed to Sir Giles Strangways (1547), but of
C15, (RCHM). Extensive wall monuments to Strangways family, notably N. transept.
marble monument, 1726, to Thomas Strangways, Jun. 1666 marble tablet with
scrolls, cornice, broken and scrolled pediment, to Sir John Strangways. Nave
has 4 C18 monuments with rococo framing (RCHM). Stalls, in chancel, seating
on side walls and returned against crossing tower, C19 in early Decorated style,
with naturalistic foliage. Pulpit and Priest's Desk with similar ornament, and
Ilchester arms. Church, monument to Caroline Leonora, wife of Henry Stephen,
3rd earl of Ilchester 1819 , white marble with kneeling figure of a woman, by
Chantrey, 1821. The monuments are of especial interest.
(RCHM. Dorset I, p.161(1))
Listing NGR: ST5773805972
