Parish Church of St Mary

Details

CHARMINSTER

SY 6792 WEST HILL (North Side)

13/27 Parish Church of St Mary 26.1.56

GV I

Parish Church. C11 core at east end of nave, later C12 arcades and part of south walling. C15 widening of east half of south aisle to form south chapel. C16 west tower and north and south vestries, and south porch. Chancel demolished in C17 and rebuilt c1838. North aisle rebuilt later in C19. General restorations in 1838-9 and in 1895, when roofs were renewed. Local rubble stone walls with some flint coursing, limestone and Ham Hill ashlar. Lead roofs, chancel and north aisle roofs of slate. South elevation, excluding vestry/tower. South aisle at west end has probably C12 walling with a 3-light C15 window. Late C15 south doorway has a pointed, moulded head and continuous moulded jambs with run-out stops and a triangular chamfered rear arch. South chapel, late C15, with C16 widening in south west corner; east wall contains a C15 window of 3 cinquefoil lights in a square head below a moulded label with head stops. South wall has a much restored C15 window. West of this, the recess-like C16 exterior has a window of 2 elliptical headed lights in a square head with chamfered reveals. The south porch is C16 with the porch arch reconstructed in C17; the parapet includes two C16 gargoyles and a corbel with the Trenchard monogram, now supporting a C20 cross. Nave with clear storey, has five windows, 3 two-light C15 windows, clasped in square heads interspersed with single light C12 windows; ashlar parapet with strings over. The short chancel has a C17 east window reset inside out, of four lights with vertical tracery in a 4-centred moulded head with moulded splays and has a chamfered label, now on inside. Reset CID window in south wall, of 2 four-centred lights in a square head with label. West tower and adjoining vestries acting as extensions of aisles, built early C16 by Thomas Trenchard and bearing his monogram on the west buttresses. Tower of 3 stages with moulded plinth and strings carried round the angle buttresses and octagonal vice-turret at N W corner. Embattled parapet, gargoyles and crocketed pinnacles. West doorway has a moulded four centred head and continuous moulded jambs with pedestal stops all in a square surround formed by diagonally set standards and moulded string across head. Traceried spandrels include Trenchard monogram. West window, five transomed lights with 4-centred openings below and ogee cinquefoil openings above. High 4-centred head contains vertical tracery. 2nd stage has small rectangular window 3rd (bell opening) stage contains two 2-light double transomed, square headed windows with square labels, all lights have elliptical heads and are filled with pierced stone panels. North and south vestries flank the west tower and are contemporary with it, with set back buttresses and 3-light windows to north and south. North aisle: rebuilt later C19, east and west ends are gabled with re-used C12 corbels as kneelers. East window, C15 reset of 2 cinquefoil lights in a square head with moulded label and head stops. The four reset windows, between buttresses, are all C15 with C20 repairs and similar to the window in the east wall. Interior: tower arch reveals and soffit decorated with pairs of cusped ogee headed stone panels, lowest having Trenchard monogram. Panelled arched openings to the north and south vestries. Nave, north arcade 4 bays of C12 two centred arches springing from columns with scalloped capitals with voluted corners and moulded bases. Square responds to east and west, remains of antecedent nave. South arcade similar to the north. The column bases have spurs. Supporting the roof trusses are a number of reset C15 corbels. West wall of the nave includes the boldly projecting tower-buttresses flanking the tower arch. Chancel arch is round headed and of two lightly chamfered orders and ornamented labels; shafted jambs have a three quarter shaft to each outer order and a cluster of 3 segmental shafts to the inner order. The middle keeled, scalloped capitals and moulded abaci, moulded bases. Fittings: bells, brass and indents, remains of cross clock, see RCHM. Font probably C12 recut and reshaped in C15. Monuments and floor slabs, recorded in RCHM, note south chapel (Wolfeton) monuments, ie canopied table-tombs of Trenchard family, C16. Mural paintings: nave north wall, areas of stencilled decoration depicting strawberries and leaves in red on white ground. Early C16. Over north arcade, traces of black letter inscription from Matthew V, 16. 3rd bay rectangular panel with inscription from Nahum I, 15. South arcade walling has further black letter inscriptions recorded in RCHM. Pulpit, oak, octagonal with moulded and jewel ornamented plinth, modern base, sides in two heights of panelling with enriched framing, enriched guilloche rails and cornices. Piscina, Plate, Royal Arms, Sundials, Weathervane and Miscellanes recorded in RCHM entry. For further detail on individual monuments refer to: (RCHM Dorset III p 60(l))

Listing NGR: SY6792392698

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

106215

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Inventory of Dorset, (1970), 60

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.