Listed Building record MDO10287 - Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Holnest

A parish church with a tower dating to the late 14th or early 15th century. The south aisle and porch are 15th century in date. The church was restored in the 17th century and again in 1855.

The parish church of St Mary has rubble walls, with roofs of lead and stone slates. It consists of a nave, south aisle, tower, south porch and chancel. The south wall of the nave is of uncertain age but is probably the earliest part of the church. The west tower is late 14th or 15th century, the south aisle and porch 15th century. The church was restored in 1885. <2, 3>

The church, no longer in use, is in a dilapidated state due to sinking of the foundations. The windows are broken, and much of
the roof is of corrugated iron. <4>

St Marys Church, Halnent. Mention only. <5>

The 14th century (a) church of St Mary's has been restored, and was reopened for divine services in 1968. <6>

Le Pard, Gordon, 1998, Medieval sundials in Dorset. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society 119, 76 (Article in serial). SDO21411.

<1> Ordnance Survey, 1923-33, Ordnance Survey 25-inch map, epoch three (Map). SDO11595.

St Mary's Church (NR)

<2> DOE (HHR), 1950, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest: Sherborne Rural District 1950, 13 6/1 (Scheduling record). SDO17394.

<3> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 124 (Monograph). SDO97.

<4> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, 23-SEP-55 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<4.1> Church noticeboard (Unpublished document). SDO17409.

<5> Newman, J, and Pevsner, N, 1972, The Buildings of England: Dorset, 232 (Monograph). SWX1290.

<6> Phillips, A S, Various, Field Investigators Comments ASP, F2 ASP 21-0CT-77 (Unpublished document). SWX3817.

<7> Department of the Environment, 1984, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest: District of West Dorset (Parishes of Alton Pancras, Bishops Caundle, Buckland Newton, Caundle Marsh, Folke, Hermitage, Hilfield, Holnest, Holwell, Melcombe Horsey, Minterne Magna etc) (Scheduling record). SDO16359.

<8> Historic England, Historic England Archive, BB71/02843 (Index). SDO14738.

A view of the Church of the Assumption in Holnest from the south-east

<9> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OP24579 (Index). SDO14738.

A view of the Church of the Assumption in Holnest from the south-east

<10> National Record of the Historic Environment (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

May 1 2025 12:48PM