Listed Building record MDO13775 - Parish church of St Nicholas, Durweston

Parish church, 15th century west tower, main body of church 1846 by Hardwick for Baron Portman, north vestries, organ chamber and extension of chancel 1913/14 by Green of Blandford for Viscount Portman. 12th century font.

THE PARISH CHURCH OF ST. NICHOLAS, standing in the S. part of the village, was largely rebuilt in 1846, the architect being P.C. Hardwick, and presents little that is noteworthy apart from the 15th-century tower and a few reused fragments from the old building. The 19th-century Chancel, Nave, S. Aisle and S. Porch are faced with knapped flint chequered with blocks of ashlar. The S. doorway incorporates a reused 15th-century four-centred arch inscribed with the epitaph of William Dounton, rector from 1442 to 1459, and another stone with the date 1455. The present church at Durweston was the parish church of Knighton until Durweston and Knighton were united in 1381 (for the original church of Durweston, see ST 80 NE 8). <2,3>

Church of St Nicholas. Grade 2*. Among the fittings re-used from the original church is a 12th century font. <4,5>

<1> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey map 1:10,560, 1969 (Map). SDO18658.

(ST 85870852) Ch

<2> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 1, 89-91 (Monograph). SDO146.

‘(1) THE PARISH CHURCH OF ST. NICHOLAS, standing in the S. part of the village, was largely rebuilt in 1846, the architect being P. C. Hardwick, and presents little that is noteworthy apart from the 15th-century tower and a few reused fragments from the old building. The 19th-century Chancel, Nave, S. Aisle and S. Porch are faced with knapped flint chequered with blocks of ashlar. The S. doorway incorporates a reused 15th-century four-centred arch (Plate 49) inscribed with the epitaph of William Dounton, rector from 1442 to 1459, and another stone with the date 1455. The pillars of the nave arcade incorporate some mediaeval stones, and some of the moulded octagonal capitals are probably mediaeval although retooled.
Architectural Description—The West Tower (9½ ft. by 9 ft.) is built of coursed Greensand ashlar; it has three stages between the chamfered and moulded plinth and the embattled parapet (Plate 9). The top of the lower stage is marked by a weathered string-course and the upper stages have weathered and hollow-chamfered string-courses. The top string-course, at the base of the parapet, has a gargoyle at the centre of each face; above these and above the corners rise small crocketed pinnacles. The corners of the tower have diagonal buttresses; that at the N.E. corner springs from the roof of the vice a little below the top stage and the other three are each of six stages; a rough round-headed recess is cut into the lowest stage of the S.W. buttress. The rectangular vice turret is of two stages; its head is weathered back to the N. wall of the tower just below the top stage. The tower arch is two-centred and has two hollow-chamfered orders which die into the wall at the springing; there are no responds. The small doorway of the tower vice has a chamfered four-centred head and jambs. The W. doorway has a moulded four-centred head with continuous jambs and broach stops; the weathered and hollow-chamfered label ends in square foliate stops. The W. window, restored, has three cinquefoil lights and vertical upper tracery, in a two-centred casement-moulded head, and continuous jambs. The S. side of the tower is decorated externally on the lower stage with a tall niche carved in lighter and finer-grained Greensand. The projecting sill of the niche is supported on a moulded corbel; on either side, a buttress-shaped standard with a miniature corbel base continues up beyond the springing of the niche-head to a crocketed finial; above is a crocketed canopy, carved on the soffit to represent ribbed vaulting with a floral boss; the back of the recess retains traces of red pigment. In the second stage of the tower is another niche, similar to the first but with an ogee head and septfoil cusping in place of a canopy. A third niche, in the W. side of the second stage, is better preserved; it has an ogee head with trefoil cusping and sub-cusping. In the top stage, each face of the tower has a belfry window of two trefoil-headed lights with a blind quatrefoil in a two-centred head with a concentric label; the lights are fitted with pierced wooden shutters.
Fittings—Bells: six; 3rd, late 14th century, inscribed 'Sancta Maria', others recast. Chests: In S. aisle, small iron-bound chest with foliate escutcheon-plate and wrought iron handles, perhaps Flemish, 17th century. In vestry, 17th-century oak chest, 4¼ ft. long, with conventional leaf carving and moulded rails. Door: To tower vice, of planks with wrought iron strap hinges, heavily nail-studded, 16th century. Font: At W. end of S. aisle, with square base of Purbeck marble with mouldings for a round centre pedestal and four shafts, 12th century; stem modern; basin completely re-worked but possibly original. Graffiti: In S. arcade, incorporated in second column from E., inverted drum stone with late 17th and early 18th-century scratchings; on W. column, similar scratchings; presumably these stones survive from mediaeval fabric. Over S. doorway, reset four-centred chamfered arch with scratching of 1687 and several 18th-century scratchings (see also Inscription). Image: In S. aisle, reset above S. doorway, sculptured stone panel, 2 ft. high and with remains of red pigment, supposed to represent St. Eloi, patron saint of blacksmiths; discovered beneath E. window of old chancel during 19th-century restorations (Hutchins I, 266); 15th century (Plate 13). Inscription: On fascia of reset head of S. doorway, black-letter inscription in raised letters 2 ins. high in recessed concentric panel (Plate 49): "hic iacet sub tumilo downto will's humanis Rector erat ville durwesto' okefordie natus" and on W. impost of same doorway, in two horizontal lines of similar lettering, "Smpt. anno dni. mill'o cccclv".
Monuments: In S. aisle, above arcade, (1) of William Burtt, 1824, sarcophagus-shaped tablet by Hiscock of Blandford; (2) of Catherine Godwin, 1817, tablet by Hiscock; (3) of Thomas Keeping, 1840, sarcophagus-shaped tablet by Simmonds; on S. wall, (4) of Mary Ann Alford, 1839, tablet by Collins of Poole; (5) of William Dansey, 1800, white marble tablet with arms; on W. wall, (6) of Thomas Palmer, 1714, marble tablet in pedimented stone frame with scrolled side pieces and foliate apron. Plate: includes silver cup of 1837, paten of [1759] and set of cup, paten and flagon with hall-marks of 1764 and arms of Portman impaling Fitch (Plate 43); although dates do not quite agree this set is presumably the one noted by Nightingale (140) at Bryanston. Sundial: On S. side of tower at belfry level, square stone plate with incised radii and iron gnomon, probably 18th century.’

<3> DOE (HHR), 1954, List of Buildings of Special Historic or Architectural Interest: Blandford Rural District, 4 (Scheduling record). SDO17701.

<3.1> Hutchins, J, 1861, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset. Volume 1. 3rd edition, 266 (Monograph). SDO12569.

<4> DOE (HHR), List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest: North Dorset, 10 (Scheduling record). SDO17666.

Jun-1985

<5> Newman, J, and Pevsner, N, 1972, The Buildings of England: Dorset, 191 (Monograph). SWX1290.

<6> National Record of the Historic Environment, 205491 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Apr 15 2025 4:09PM