Listed Building record MDO3775 - Church of St Thomas, East Orchard

The Parish Church of St Thomas, East Orchard was built in 1859-61 by Evans and Pullan, with the chancel by E Christian. It was built as a chapel-of-ease to Iwerne Minster to replace an earlier chapel on a different site. It comprises a nave, chancel and south porch built of rubble walls on a Greensand plinth, with a tiled roof and end bell-cote, and corner pilaster-type buttresses. The windows are lancets throughout, with the west window of five graduated lancets and the east window of three graduated lancets. The South Porch has an outer 2-centred arch with two chamfered orders on half-columns with capitals and bases. The internal features are nineteenth century and with a late twelfth or early thirteenth century font on a nineteenth century stem and base. <2> <3> <4>

The Parish Church of St. Thomas, East Orchard was built in 1859 and replaced the former chapel-of-ease (at ST 84211822 - see ST 81 NW 1) which was demolished. A probable 12th or 13th century font from the
former chapel is now in the present building. <2>

Church of St. Thomas by Evans and Pullan, 1859-61, consists of a nave with bellcote and chancel. <3>

<1> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey map 6 inches to 1 mile, 1962 (Map). SDO11924.

(ST 83341791) St. Thomas's Church (NAT)

<2> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1972, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume IV (North), 14 (Monograph). SDO99.

‘(1) THE PARISH CHURCH OF ST. THOMAS (83341792), then a chapel-of-ease to Iwerne Minster, was built in 1859, and the former chapel on another site (see (11)) was demolished (Sarum Dioc. Regy.,1859). A font was transferred from the old to the new building.
Fitting - Font: of stone, with circular bowl with slightly tapering sides, chamfered below and with cuttings in rim for locked cover, now gone; probably late 12th or early 13th century, with 19th-century retooling; stem and base, 19th century.’

<3> Newman, J, and Pevsner, N, 1972, The Buildings of England: Dorset, 197 (Monograph). SWX1290.

St Thomas. By Evans & Pullan, 1859-61. Nave with bellcote and chancel.

<4> English Heritage, National Heritage List for England, 1110450 (Digital archive). SDO12876.

Parish Church, 1859. By Evans and Pullan, chancel by E. Christian. Rubble walls with gabled, tiled roof and end bell-cote. Stone copings west. Greensand plinth. Plan: nave, chancel and south porch. Fenestration consists of lancets throughout. West window of 5 graduated lancets and east window of 3 graduated lancets. Corner pilaster type buttresses. Porch has an outer 2-centred arch with 2 chamfered orders on half-columns with capitals and bases. Inner door has 2-centred chamfered head. Internal features: late C12 or early C13 font with circular bowl and C19 stem and base. Other fittings, C19. RCHM, Dorset, vol IV, p 15, no I. Newman, J and Pevsner N, The Buildings of England: Dorset, Penguin 1972, p 197.

<5> National Record of the Historic Environment, 206029 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Apr 16 2025 4:48PM