Listed Building record MDO12914 - Church of St James, St James Street, Shaftesbury

Of medieval origin but rebuilt in 1866 re-using some elements of the earlier church. The record for this monument has been enhanced with support from Wessex Water.

The present St. James's Church stands on the site of an earlier church of which many gravestones and commemoration plaques were broken up, and are still between the joists and the new church floor. <2>

St. James's Church was entirely rebuilt in 1866 but reset in the walls of the north and south aisles are 15th century stone parapets from the former church. Several 14th century stone windows also in the present church presumably came from the earlier structure. <3>

St. James's Church rebuilt in 1866-7, probably stands on the site of an earlier church mentioned as 'Capella sancti jacobi de Coppenhulla' which was given to Alcester Abbey (see SP 05 NE 2) about 1140. <4>

<1> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1927-38 (Map). SWX1540.

(ST 85802238) St James's Church (NAT)

<2> Teulon Porter, Noel, Annotated record map 1 to 6 inch scale in Shaftesbury Museum (Gold Hill), 18.2.60 (Map). SDO18343.

<3> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1972, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume IV (North), 64-65 (Monograph). SDO99.

'(4) THE CHURCH OF ST JAMES, at the foot of Castle Hill, in the S.W. part of the twon, was rebuilt in 1866 to designs by T.H.Wyatt. Reset on the wall of the N. aisle is a 15th-century stone parapet from the former church; it is embattled, with a continous moulded coping and with a trefoil-headed panel on each merlon; below the crenellation is a continous frieze of quatrefoils. The S. aisle wall has a similar reset parapet, but not embattled. The E. window of the S. aisle is of three trefoil agee-headed lights under quatrefoil tracery in a two-centred head; an old drawing kept in the church shows that this is the restored 14th-century E. window of the former chancel. The W. windows of the S. aisle and of the N. aisle are similar to that on the E., but of two lights; they also are of the 1th century and presumably come from the former church.'

<4> Penn, K J, 1980, Historic Towns in Dorset, 85 (Monograph). SWX1202.

<5> National Record of the Historic Environment, 206427 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Apr 17 2025 2:57PM