Listed Building record MDO39144 - Chapel of St Mary Magdalene, West Milton, Powerstock

The remains of a medieval chapel, comprising a tower of late 15th or early 16th-century date, which seems to have been built within the walls of an earlier building on the site. The walls are made of local rubble. The chapel was replaced by a new chapel built on a different site in 1873. Material from the old chapel seems to have been removed and used in other buildings nearby, particularly the village hall.

A chapel of ease to POWERSTOCK with a circular headed NORMAN doorway and font. The building consists of a chancel, nave and tower. <1>

The chapel of ST MARY MAGDALENE, West Milton. Only the W. end and tower are still standing. The tower is of late 15th C or early 16th C date, and "it seems to have been built within the side walls of a pre-existing nave. Much material from nave was re-used in the village hall." <3>

Description <3> is correct. The remaining portion which measures 3.4m by 6.0m is well preserved and is set in a graveyard in which some of the tombstones still remain. <4>

The present POWERSTOCK & WEST MILTON churches have in their respective chancels, lists of incumbents dating from 1318, inferring that this chapel of ease is, at least, of E. 14.c. date. POWERSTOCK ch. History - also in the chancel of the present ch. - gives 1663 as the date of consecration of the graveyard at West Milton, with the added inf. That the present West Milton ch. Dates from 1873. HCD deduced from above. Authy. for NORMAN arch in <1> questionable. <5>

The old Norman church was knocked down in 1859 and much of the stone was used to build the school in Powerstock. <7>

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

<2> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1931 (Map). SWX1540.

1.[SY 5030 96D37] ST. MARY'S CHURCH [GT] (Remains of)

<3> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 183 (Monograph). SDO97.

‘(2) CHAPEL OF ST. MARY MAGDALENE, West Milton, stands 1,520 yards W. of the parish church. Only the W. end and tower is now standing, a new chapel having been built on the W. of the hamlet in 1873. The tower is of late 15th or early 16th-century date and is of local rubble with dressings of the same material. It seems to have been built within the side walls of a pre-existing nave. Much material from here was reused in the village hall.

Architectural Description—The Tower (6½ ft. by 7 ft.) rises from the middle of a rectangular block 21½ ft. by 10 ft. which has a pent roof on each side at the base of the upper stage of the tower; the N. part of the block seems to be solid but the S. part contains the staircase. The tower-arch is two-centred and of one continuous moulded order; it is now blocked; flanking it are the lines of the side-walls of the former nave and above it the weathering of the nave-roof. The W. doorway has hollow-chamfered jambs and four-centred arch; above it is a window of two lights with rounded heads and higher again is a rectangular light. The bell-chamber has a rectangular light in the N., S. and W. walls; the N. light is blocked. The tower is finished with an embattled parapet.’

<4> Rigg, J, Field Investigators Comments JR, F1 JR 30-APR-55 (Unpublished document). SWX1255.

<5> Field Investigators Comments HC, F2 HC 11-MAY-55 (Unpublished document). SWX1260.

<6> Newman, J, and Pevsner, N, 1972, The Buildings of England: Dorset, 446 (Monograph). SWX1290.

<7> Poole, H S, Powerstock. A Short Social History (Monograph). SDO19143.

<8> Historic England, Historic England Archive, BF051585 (Index). SDO14738.

ST MARY'S OLD CHURCH, POWERSTOCK

<9> Historic England, Historic England Archive, BF051586 (Index). SDO14738.

ST MARY'S CHURCH, POWERSTOCK

<10> National Record of the Historic Environment, 450864 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 23 2024 3:52PM