Listed Building: PARISH CHURCH (ST MARY) (104693)

SY 39 SE CATHERSTON LEWESTON 5/8 Parish Church (St Mary) G.V. II* Parish Church. 1857-8 by J L Pearson. Commissioned by R L Hildyard, lord of Catherston Manor. Nave and Chancel; north Vestry; entry by West door. Knapped chert walls, the cherts fitting closely to make a surface. Stone for plinths, buttresses, strings, gable copings, cornices, window tracery. Plain tile roof with copings at west gable, nave/chancel divide and east end. Copings have gableted kneelers. Stone sanctus bell-cote over west gable with sunk trefoil and stone cross over. Cross-in-wheel over middle coping. Small cross with trefoil terminals over east coping. West elevation: good west doorway with 3 orders of responds, naturalistic foliage capitals, keeled roll mouldings to pointed arch. Label with naturalistic foliage stops. West window of 4 lights with geometric tracery. North elevation: 4 bays. Mullion windows, with geometric tracery heads. East end has frieze of sunk quatrefoils all round. East window, 3 light with respond-jambs and sexfoil geometrical tracery over. Memorial Tablet to R C Hildyard, d 1857 and R H Hildyard, d 1876. Interior: nave roof of arch-braced construction with high collars. 2 sets of wind-braces, the lower as ashlaring. Longitudinal ridge-bracing. 5 bays to roof carried on stone corbels with carved angel-musicians. Chancel-roof, similar, of 3 bays. Chancel-arch, single responds, naturalistic foliage capitals, high pointed arch. Chancel East wall: diaper pattern of carved paterae behind altar and on reredos. Integral reredos of 3 trefoil- cusped arches on marbled colonettes. Running foliage string-course over. Credence shelf below north window. Sedilia below south window. Fittings: Font, Beerstone, with octagonal bowl: scenes from Christ's Ministry. Latin inscription round bowl and dated 1858. Pulpit, stone, octagonal with pointed arches in a square panel, carried on marble colonettes. Stained glass, good in Decorated style, 1858, by Clayton & Bell, East window with Christ's Passion in 3 scenes. West window: scenes from the life of the Virgin. Altar-rail with twisted-iron shafts and running foliage spandrels. Choir-stalls, oak, with 13th century style details. Iron work candelabrum to priest's desk. "F P Pitfield, Dorset Parish Churches A - D", p 152. Listing NGR: SY3696594391

Record last edited

Oct 19 2021 7:06PM