Monument record MDO19881 - All Hallow's Church, Sherborne

Formerly an early perpendicular parish church adjoining the west end of the Abbey church of St. Mary until its destruction in the 1540's. a section of the north wall of the north nave aisle survives running west from the NW corner of the abbey church and functioning as the southern boundary of Sherborne School grounds. Furthermore, the responds to the ambulatory arcades and the arches into the side chapels still exist against the west wall of the abbey church. The line of the ambulatory roof on the west wall of the abbey church was also visible in the 19th century.

All Hallows was formerly an early perpendicular parish church adjoining the west end of the Abbey church of St. Mary until its destruction in the 1540's. The form of the the church can be discerned from surviving architectural fragments.

The lower section of the north wall of the north nave aisle survives running west from the NW corner of the abbey church and functioning as the southern boundary of Sherborne School grounds. The wall stands to the height of its window sills and is divided into six bays by the shafts and bases of its internal responds. The responds to the ambulatory arcades and the arches into the side chapels still exist against the west wall of the abbey church. The broken remains of the of the south wall of the southern chapel where it was bonded into west wall of the abbey porch are clearly visible. The line of the ambulatory roof on the west wall of the abbey church was also visible in the 19th century. High on the south wall of the 13th century school library are the remains of the spring of an arch corresponding exactly to where the first pier (north) of the north arcade of All Hallows would have stood. Its great height suggests that it may once have been a flying buttress supporting the north east corner of a clerestory.

This evidence suggests that All Hallows was an early perpendicular church of six bays, with a nave and clerestory of five bays and aisles of six bays. The eastern bays of the aisles extended eastward of the clerestory to form, together with a central bay placed between them, an ambulatory across the east end of the church. In plan the church resembled a letter 'T', with nave and aisles forming the thick trunk, and the ambulatory and side chapels the cross piece. Documentary evidence also suggests that it had a tower with pinnacles and windows and a door on its north side. There was also a door on the south of the church enclosed by a battlemented porch.

A number of excavations were undertaken during 1964-5 by the Sherborne School Archaeological Society under the direction of J. H. P. Gibb. One notable result was that the church appeared to have been built some time after 1305 and not completed by 1301 as previously thought. (1)

The Archaeological Society of Sherborne School excavated in an open area, which had previously been the site of the north chapel of All Hallows church at some time between 1964 and 1973. Green and yellow floor tiles associated with this chapel were uncovered along with two courses of the stone altar base. Following the demolition of All Hallows a cottage had been built on the site, the north end south wall of which was also uncovered. (2)

<1> Gibb, J H P, 1971, An interim report of excavations carried out at the west end of Sherborne Abbey in 1964 and 1965. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, pp.199-205 (Article in serial). SDO10267.

<2> Gibb, J H P, 1975, The Anglo-Saxon Cathedral at Sherborne; Archaeological Journal (Article in serial). SDO10316.

Record last edited

Aug 23 2024 1:09PM