Listed Building record MDO27686 - Parish church of St Candida and Holy Cross, Whitchurch Canonicorum

The church has material of twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth-century date, with modern additions and restorations. Documentary evidence suggests the presence of a Saxon minster built around 897 which became a Benedictine Cell.

(SY 39689544). The church of St White, or Candida, and Holy Cross was built by King Alfred about 897. About 1060, the church became a cell of the Benedictine Abbey of St Wandragesil (now St Wandrille) in Normandy, under the name of Album Monasterium. The connection lasted about 140 years, during which time the monks rebuilt King Alfred's church on a larger scale. The cell was surrendered to the church of Old Sarum and the right of presentation to the rectory passed to Sir Robert de Mandevil, apparently on his undertaking to complete the unfinished work of the abbots. This accounts for the different styles of architecture. <1-3>

About this time of the death of William I the church with its advowson was made over to the Abbot & Monks of the Abbey of St Wandragesil. There is some evidence that this donation was made by Edward the Confessor and later confirmed by William. However, towards the end of the eleventh century the Saxon church was demolished and its rebuilding in Norman style was begun, doubtless by the monks of St Wandregesil. <4>

The earliest parts of the existing church are the three middle bays of the south arcade of the nave and corresponding parts of the south aisle which date from late in the 12th century. <5>

No remains of the Saxon church are now to be seen. Although the church and advowson were made over to the alien abbey, there is no evidence to confirm the statement that a cell existed here and since the site is not mentioned by authorities 4 and 5 the establishment of a cell appears to be doubtful. Description of remains by authority 5 correct. A considerable number of Roman bricks are incorporated in the external rubble masonry of the north wall of the chancel, the north transept, and under the NE and SE corners of the rebuilt east wall of the church. <6>

Whitchurch Canonicorum Church (St Candida and the Holy Cross). Plan of chancel, transepts, nave with North and South aisles, South porch and vestry, West tower. <8>

Built into the internal south wall at the East end of the South aisle, is a fragment with two circular panels with rosettes . These are probably late 11th century. <9>

Listed as a probable minster. Documentary evidence suggests the presence of a Saxon minster built circa 897 which became a Benedictine Cell. <12>

Le Pard, Gordon, 1998, Medieval sundials in Dorset. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society 119, 84 (Article in serial). SDO21411.

<1> Shipp, W, and Hodson, J W (eds), 1863, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset. 3rd edition. Volume 2, 266-271 (Monograph). SWX1269.

<2> Virtue and Co, 1868, The National Gazeteer: A Topograpical Dictionary of the British Isles, 800 (Monograph). SDO18924.

<3> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1908, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club for 1907, 51 (Serial). SDO17439.

<4> Havelock-Davidson, Revd Canon W J, c.1950, The story of the Church of St Candida and the Holy Cross (Monograph). SDO19073.

<5> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 260 (Monograph). SDO97.

'Parish church of St. Candida (or St. Wite) and Holy Cross (1) Parish Church and former Minster Church. Church has material of C12, C13, C14 and C15 and modern additions and restorations. West Tower, nave with clerestory, north and south aisles, south porch, north and south transepts, chancel, south vestry. Lias stone ashlar walls, slate roofs. Tower C15. 4 stages. Set back buttresses, crenellated parapet and renewed crocketed finials. West door with heavily moulded jambs intersecting the plinth mouldings. Plant-motifs in spandrels and quatrefoil shielded frieze over. Two statue niches left and right of cross-transomed west window. 2-light bell openings with quatrefoil head over. Carved panels on south wall of Tower, one with Viking ship. South elevation: south aisle wall C12, C13 with renewed reticulated window tracery. Porch C15, one storey, diagonal buttresses, massive carved grotesques. Pointed arch-entrance with 2 respond orders. Cambered tie beam roof inside. Inside: late C12 doorway, with nook shafts, late water leaf capitals, arch-moulds include projecting dog tooth and hood-roll with gripping beak-head at apex and with beak-head terminals. South transept, C13, west face with E.E. lancets, straight chamfered, deep hollow and big roll, keeled roll-label over. South window: 3-light trefoil-cusped with intersecting ogees leading up to a mandorla-head with quatrefoil fill, C14. South vestry, rebuilt 1822 in coursed knapped flint. Chancel with 2 EE lancets with original labels. Blocked trefoil-headed priest's doorway with heavy keeled roll over. East wall of chancel rebuilt 1847-8, 3 stepped lancets. Late C12 keeled angle shafts from carved faces at top incorporated. North elevation, North transept shows back of St Wite's shrine projecting. East wall has a window c 1300. North aisle rebuilt, has plain parapets. Interior: nave of 5 bays plus one for transepts. South arcade, c 1170, round piers with scallop and water-leaf capitals. Labels with one beak-head and large naturalistic heads as spandrel-stops. North arcade, c 1190 4-respond shafts, standing on bases and plinths. Capitals, derived from transept-scallops with conventional and more naturalistic foliage. Heavily moulded pointed arches, one with free- standing double-chevron. Nave extended one bay west in c C14. Clerestorey windows, quatrefoils with rere-arches over arcade-spandrels. Wooden waggon- roof, bossed at intersections, C15. North transept with clustered respond- shafts, with similar capitals to above and rings. South transept windows with respond-framing. Chancel-arch with triple-respond shafts, naturalistic foliage and wide pointed arch. Segmental barrel-vault. Fittings: Shrine of St Wite (north transept), stone with Purbeck marble top. Tomb chest built over 3 mandorla-shaped openings for pilgrims' offerings, healing, C13. Font, late C12, stone bowl with intersecting arcading, chip-carved saltire band over, rope- moulded base. Purbeck marble stem. Pulpit, c 1630, wood, octagonal on trumpet- stem, with Carolean ornament. Wall tomb, early C17 to Sir J Jeffery of Catherston, d 1611. Tomb chest, stone effigy and fine carved framing.'

<6> Swatridge, G C, Various, Field Investigators Comments GCS, F1 GS 18-FEB-55 (Unpublished document). SWX1169.

<7> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1962, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1961, 83 (Serial). SDO61.

<8> Newman, J, and Pevsner, N, 1972, The Buildings of England: Dorset, 458-60 (Monograph). SWX1290.

<9> Aston, Michael, and Lewis, Carenza (eds), 1994, The medieval landscape of Wessex, 53 (Monograph). SWX1296.

<9> Keen, L, 2001, Archaeological Assessment for New Lavatory Extension, St Candida And Holy Cross, Whitchurch Canonicorum, Dorset (Unpublished document). SDO14997.

<11> Murray, P and Wilkinson, D, 2001, The Church of St Candida and the Holy Cross, Whitchurch Canonicorum, Dorset. Archaeological Excavation Report (Unpublished document). SDO14968.

<12> Cramp, R, 2006, Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture: Vol VII. South-West England, 129 (Monograph). SDO17427.

<13> Historic England, Historic England Archive, BB44/00928 (Index). SDO14738.

A view of the west door to St Candida and the Holy Cross Church, Whitchurch Canonicorum

<14> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OP24687 (Index). SDO14738.

A view of the west door to St Candida and the Holy Cross Church, Whitchurch Canonicorum

<15> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OP24688 (Index). SDO14738.

A view of St Candida and the Holy Cross Church, Whitchurch Canonicorum, from the north-west

<16> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OP24689 (Index). SDO14738.

A view of the west door to St Candida and the Holy Cross Church, Whitchurch Canonicorum. This print was received by the National Buildings Record on 20th February 1945.

<17> National Record of the Historic Environment, 449739 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

May 1 2025 1:04PM