Listed Building record MDO10843 - Holy Trinity Church, Bradpole

Parish Church built 1845-6 with a spire added in 1863, and north-east chapel/vestry by C E Ponting added in 1897. It has dressed ashlar stone walls and slate roof with stone gable-copings, with crosses at nave and chancel gables. The West Tower is of three stages with diagonal buttresses and plain parapet, heavily moulded west doorway, square-headed light to ringing chamber and two lancet lights to belfry. Spire of pyramidal form with wooden shingles. Nave with north arcade of four bays openinng into North Aisle. Windows are single lancets with a deep chamfer. South Porch, with pointed-arch entrance and moulded jambs. Chancel has two bays of lancet windows, a Priest's door, on south side and East window of three stepped lancets. North-east Vestry, gabled to east end, with coupled pointed lights to east with quatrefoil heads.

[Area centred SY 48049430] HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, built in Perpendicular style - probably temp HENRY VII, consisted of nave, chancel and low tower on the North side of the chancel. Demolished 1845-6. The present HOLY TRINITY CHURCH was erected on a site adjoining the old churchyard. <1>

"Ancient records state that there was once a ST ANDREWS CHURCH at BRADPOLE about the 13th cent. In a note of 1908 in the REVUE CATHOLIQUE it states that the chapel of ST ANDREW was situated between BRADPOLE & BRIDPORT at the East end of BRIDPORT. No trace of it exists." The 3rd BRADPOLE church was rebuilt in 1845-6 and during the process of demolition of the HOLY TRINITY a fort was discovered which evidently belonged to ST ANDREW'S which was on this site. ST ANDREWS was mentioned in 1216. "It may have stood in the neighbourhood of ST ANDREW'S WELL but personally I am inclined to believe it occucpied a site near the present church" <2>

Parish Church built 1845-6 with a spire added in 1863, and north-east chapel/vestry by C E Ponting added in 1897. It has dressed ashlar stone walls and slate roof with stone gable-copings, with crosses at nave and chancel gables. The West Tower is of three stages with diagonal buttresses and plain parapet, heavily moulded west doorway, square-headed light to ringing chamber and two lancet lights to belfry. Spire of pyramidal form with wooden shingles. Nave with north arcade of four bays openinng into North Aisle. Windows are single lancets with a deep chamfer (2). South Porch, with pointed-arch entrance and moulded jambs. Chancel has two bays of lancet windows, a Priest's door, on south side and East window of three stepped lancets. North-east Vestry, gabled to east end, with coupled pointed lights to east with quatrefoil heads.

The interior has a north arcade of 4 bays with octagonal piers and moulded capitals. High pointed arches with straight-chamfered and quadrant mouldings. Roof of arch-braced collar type carried on stone corbels, trefoiled above collar. Rafters planked-in and imitation wind-bracing. Chancel-arch with double-responds, moulded capitals and head.

The fitting include 15th century font, chamfered octagonal bowl with moulded necking and 19th/20th century stem and base. Fixed to the west wall is a 15th century window of three cinquefoiled lights with vertical tracery, said to have been the east window of the former chapel of St Andrew at Bridport and erected here in 1909. <3>

[SY 48039427] By tradition the church was a little south of the present one <4.1> The previous HOLY TRINITY was a little South and West of the present one. Probably on the site of the school or adjoining it on the East (b). Both the authorities in T2 are elderly ladies who have spent their lives in the village. The vicar of Bradpole knew nothing about either of the previous churches. Dating on headstones was of no assistance in siting the church except that they tended to confirm the statement of T2. <4.2> The remnants of a tracery window are pinned to the interior wall of the present church. No "in situ" trace of antiquity was found in the area. <4>

"The East window and head of the chapel of ST ANDREW BRADPOLE Circa 1380." <5>

19th century fresco of Christ in Majesty above chancel-arch by W G Rich. <6>

<1> Shipp, W, and Hodson, J W (eds), 1863, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset. 3rd edition. Volume 2, 156 (Monograph). SWX1269.

<2> 1909, Bradpole Parish Magazine (Serial). SDO19070.

<3> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 36 (Monograph). SDO97.

<4> Rigg, J, Field Investigators Comments JR, F1 JR 21-SEP-54 (Unpublished document). SWX1255.

<4.1> Crew, Oral: Miss Crew, Middle Street, Bradpole, 21-SEP-54 (Verbal communication). SDO19071.

<4.2> Sulton, Oral: Miss Sulton, Fishweir Lane, Bradpole, 21-SEP-54 (Verbal communication). SDO19072.

<5> Newman, J, and Pevsner, N, 1972, The Buildings of England: Dorset, 107 (Monograph). SWX1290.

<6> Pitfield, F P, 1981, Dorset Parish Churches A-D, 97-99 (Monograph). SDO10406.

<7> National Record of the Historic Environment, 450048 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Apr 15 2025 4:28PM