Listed Building record MDO23412 - Church of St Laurence, Church Street, Upwey, Weymouth

Late fifteenth century parish church. South aisle and arcade rebuilt in 1838, nave and clerestory rebuilt in 1841, and the chancel and vestry in 1906-07.

Church of St Laurence, Upwey. Late C 15 with aisles and modern chancel. South aisle and arcade added or rebuilt in 1838. Restored 1891. <1>

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 2, 365-366 (Monograph). SDO149.

'(334) Parish Church of St. Lawrence stands at the N.W. end of the village, in the middle of the old parish. The walls are of rubble with ashlar dressings except for the modern chancel and vestry which are of dressed Portland and Bath stone; the nave roof is covered with slates, the aisles with lead, the chancel with tiles and the N. porch with stone slates. The earliest work remaining in situ dates from the late 15th century and comprises part of the W. wall of the Nave and the N. arcade, the North Aisle and the West Tower; the North Porch is of similar date but partly rebuilt. The South Aisle and S. arcade were added or rebuilt in 1838 in uniformity with those on the N. side. A clearstorey was added in 1841. The church was 'restored' in 1891 and the W. gallery, erected in 1685, together with the early 19th-century N. and S. galleries, was destroyed. In 1906-7 the Chancel was relbuilt to a larger size, a Vestry was built to the S. and the 14th-century chancel arch re-erected at the E. end of the S. aisle.

Architectural Description - The Chancel and South Vestry are both modern. The Nave (47½ ft. by 17½ ft.) has at the E. end a modern chancel arch. The N. wall contains a late 15th-century arcade of four two-centred moulded arches carried on three moulded piers with four attached shafts with continuous moulded caps and separate bases; the capitals are enriched with running leaf ornament; the capital of the first pier is carved with the initials A B and of the second pier I P. E. of the N. arcade is an opening with a two-centred head, for access to a rood-loft. The S. arcade, built in 1838, although perhaps incorporating some 15th-century masonry, is a faithful copy of the N. arcade, the W. capital alone remaining uncarved. Four two-light clearstorey windows above each arcade were added in 1841. The W. wall of the nave has an internal chamfered plinth extending about 4 ft. N. and S. of the tower arch but hacked away at the ends probably to take timber supports for the W. gallery.

The North Aisle (10 ft. wide) has in the E. wall a late 15th-century window, of four lights under a square head. The N. wall has two diagonal buttresses and two intermediate buttresses; E. of each of the latter is a 15th-century three-light window similar to that in the E. wall but with a slightly different jamb moulding. The N. doorway, with a four-centred head and hollow-chamfered jambs, is also of this date. The wall is surmounted by a moulded and embattled parapet with moulded string-course and gargoyles. In the W. wall is a 15th-century window of two trefoil-headed lights with sunk spandrels under a square head and mouldings similar to the windows of the N. wall. The South Aisle (10½ ft. wide) was built in 1838 in conformity with that on the N. In the E. wall is rebuilt the former 14th-century chancel arch, two-cented and of one chamfered order. The S. wall has three three-light windows separated by two buttresses, the central window being placed opposite the N. porch and the others symmetrically about it; at the E. end of this wall is a modern doorway. In the W. wall is a reset 15th-century window similar to that in the W. wall of the N. aisle.

The West Tower (8 ft. by 8¼ ft.) is in two stages divided by a weathered string-course; the lower stage has diagonal buttresses and a moulded plinth; the upper stage is plain. The tower has a restored embattled parapet with continuous moulded capping and gargoyles and crocketed pinnacles at the corners. The tower arch is two-centred and has trefoil-headed stone panels to the jambs and soffit. In the W. wall of the lower stage is a window of three trefoiled lights with vertical tracery under a two-centred head; above it, in the upper stage, is a belfry window with two trefoiled lights. The S. wall has a plain rectangular window in each stage. The North Porch (7¼ ft. by 8½ ft.) has a chamfered plinth and diagonal buttresses but no parapet. The outer doorway has a four-centred head with continuous moulded and chamfered jambs.

The Roof of the nave was rebuilt in 1841; it is of four and a half bays divided by king-post trusses. The chancel roof is modern.

Fittings - Bells: six; 3rd and 4th by George Purdue, 1617, recast 1912; 5th by James Smith, 1767; 6th by William Knight, 18th-century, recast 1912. Brass: In chancel - reset externally in N. wall, to William Gould, 1681, shield-shaped plate with Latin inscription. Clock: in tower, with wrought-iron frame, early 19th-century, repaired and escapement renewed 1912. Consecration Cross: in N. aisle - scratched on central pier of arcade, geometrical cross in circle, possibly medieval. Door: in N. doorway, of two thicknesses of wood, vertical and diagonal, nail-studded and with long strap hinges, medieval. Font: octagonal stone bowl with panelled faces decorated with paterae, on plain octagonal stem, with square base with carved spurs, 15th-century, recut. Glass: In chancel - in E. window, in centre light, fragments of 17th-century glass probably of Flemish origin; in flanking lights, figures of the Virgin, Mary Magdalene, St. Peter and St. Paul, mid-19th century. In tower - in W. window, in situ, quarries of 'ihc' and crowns in silver stain, 15th-century.

Monuments and Floor-slabs. Monuments: In chancel - on S. wall, (1) to George Gould, 1797, Rev. George Gould, his son, 1841, and others, white marble tablet surmounted by a female weeper resting against an urn and inscribed pedestal, on black marble obelisk-shaped backing, and with marble apron with shield-of-arms and crest below, signed H. Hopper, 13 Wigmore St. London. In nave - above S. arcade, (2) to Henry Sherren, 1833, white marble sarcophagus-shaped tablet, on black marble backing, signed Lester, Dorchester. In N. aisle - on N. wall, (3) to Sarah Floyer, widow of Anthony Floyer and daughter of John Gould, 1733, white and grey marble tablet with curved pediment with cherub's head and urn and shaped apron with lozenge-of-arms of Floyer; (4) to Anna Floyer, wife of Augustus Floyer and dughter of Warren Lisle, 1774, white alabaster tablet with floral border surmounted by a fluted pedestal bearing an urn. In churchyard - against N. wall of chancel, (5) stone table-tomb, with arcaded side, late 17th or 18th century; N. of chancel, (6) to Gils Thorn and Jone his wife, 1669, Gils, John, Eamee and Sarah, their grandchildren, also to John and Mary Thorn, 1682, head-stone; N. of N. aisle (7) to Mrs. Mary Freke, 1712, table-tomb; (8) to Robert Freke, 1699, table-tomb; (9) to John Stevens, 1711, Mary his wife, John and Henry Stevens, head-stone; (10) to Henry Hardy, 1713, and Barbara his wife, headstone; on S. side of S. aisle, (11) to Ralph Corben, 1696, headstone. Floor-slabs: In nave, (1) to Robert Adams, 165[5?}] (2) to James Compton, son of Thomas and Elizabeth Compton, early 19th-century; in N. aisle, (3) to [Ha]rrye … , 17th-century.

Paintings: In N. aisle - on N. wall, three fragments of 16th-century painted texts in borders, from Tyndale's version of the last verses of St. Matthew's Gospel and from Proverbs. Panelling: in N. aisle - at E. end, dado of oak, 17th-century. Plate: includes a cup by Lawrence Stratford of Dorchester, said to have formed a set with the Broadwey paten of 1578 (see Monument 291); a paten given by Elizaeth Scovile, 1715; an almsdish of 1681given by Mrs. Hussey Floyer, 1742, with the arms of Floyer impaling Gould; a flagon of 1769 given by James Gould. Pulpit (Plate 28): of oak, raised on a modern stone base, heptagonal with moulded and enriched bas, sides in two heights of arched panels, with strapwork frieze and enriched cornice, mid 17th-century. Recess: In N. aisle - E. of N. door, plain rectangular recess, perhaps the site of a stoup. Royal Arms: in S. aisle, of carved wood, Victoria. Sculpture: In nave - of wood, carved figures, 3 ft. high, formerly part of a pulpit with representations of (1) St. Philip, (2) St. Peter, (3) St. Bartholomew, all more or less in contemporary dress and all standing on pedestals below puny draped canopies, 17th-century.'

<2> Newman, J, and Pevsner, N, 1972, The Buildings of England: Dorset, 433-434 (Monograph). SWX1290.

<4> Bellamy, P, 2018, St Laurence's Church, Upwey, Weymouth, Dorset. Observations and Recording During Erection of New Extension (Unpublished document). SDO16369.

<5> National Record of the Historic Environment, 868681 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

<32> Ordnance Survey, 1:2500 scale, 1982 (Map). SWX1197.

(SY 6605 8524) Church [NAT]

Record last edited

Apr 16 2025 1:59PM