Listed Building record MDO1021 - St George's Church, Fordington, Dorchester

The building contains elements from the late 11th century, 12th, 14th and 15th centuries, with later alterations taking place between the 18th - 20th centuries. One of the remarkable features of the church is a tympanum of Caen stone above the South doorway, said to represent St. George's intervention at the Battle of Antioch in 1098 and inside, a Roman tombstone can be found in the Nave.

Parish church of St. George, Fordington which stands on the site of a Roman cemetery (1430786) has portions of the south aisle and porch dating from the late 12th century. The south transept was probably added in the 14th century although new arches were inserted in the late 15th century and remodelling took place in 1754. The west tower was also built in the late 15th century. In the 18th century a new chancel was built which has since been destroyed, and in 1833 the north aisle and arcade were added. A very large scheme of rebuilding and eastward extension of the church was begun in 1907 which has altered the character of the building.

During excavations for these modern alterationss, old foundations were revealed aligned east-west beneath the 12th century south arcade, and aligned north-south between the 12th/15th century composite pier on the south and the position of the pier now opposite. These foundations may indicate the position of the south wall of the nave and the chancel arch of an older church. The late 11th century south doorway of the present church is undoubtedly reset from this early church. Other foundations may have been no more than later sleeper walls. A Roman tombstone discovered under the porch is now in the nave. <1>

St George's, Fordington. Described. <2>

The south doorway is surmounted by a sulptured relief, which is not a tympanum, depicting St George mounted on horseback attacking three Saracens. Two kneeling Crusaders apparently offer thanksgiving. This iconography of "St George at Antioch" dates to the time of the First Crusade, c 1098-1110, and is rare. <3>

Fordington was probably a minster, although if it was, there was no discernible parochia. <4-5>

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 1, 110-2 (Monograph). SDO146.

<2> Newman, J, and Pevsner, N, 1972, The Buildings of England: Dorset, 179-80 (Monograph). SWX1290.

<3> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1985, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1984, 105, 19 (Serial). SDO84.

<4> Aston, Michael, and Lewis, Carenza (eds), 1994, The medieval landscape of Wessex, 53 (Monograph). SWX1296.

<5> Hall, T A, 2000, Minster Churches in the Dorset Landscape, 95 (Monograph). SDO10264.

<6> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OP10384 (Index). SDO14738.

The tympanum over the south doorway is of Caen stone. It reputedly represents the Battle of Antioch in 1093 showing St George, mounted, with praying soldiers on the left and dead or dying soldiers on the right.

<7> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OP24569 (Index). SDO14738.

A view of the tower of St George's Church, Fordington, from the south

<8> National Record of the Historic Environment, 453521 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Apr 15 2025 4:08PM