Listed Building record MDO4515 - St Aldhelm's, Belchalwell, Okeford Fitzpaine

A church which was once the parish church of Belchalwell. South door and part of south nave wall dates around 1190; nave arcade, south tower, porch, parts of chancel and north aisle windows 15th century; south tower window 18th century; east and west walls and north aisle wall late 19th century.

Church of St Aldhelm, formerly the parish church of Belchalwell has walls of flint, rubble and ashlar. The nave is of the late 12th century and the chancel, north aisle, south tower and south porch were added in the 15th century.

The north aisle and east wall of the chancel were largely rebuilt in the later 19th century, as were the west wall of the nave and west wall of the south porch. The south doorway, of around 1190, is well preserved and richly embellished with chevron and dog-tooth ornament. <2-3>

<1> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1902 (Map). SWX1540.

(ST 79250981) St Aldhelm's Church

<2> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 2, 202-3 (Monograph). SDO136.

‘(2) THE CHURCH OF ST. ALDHELM (79250981), formerly the parish church of Belchalwell, stands in the S. part of Okeford Fitzpaine just over 1 m. S.W. of (1). It has walls of flint, rubble and ashlar and is roofed with modern tiles, except for the tower which is roofed with lead. The Nave is of late 12th-century origin; the Chancel, North Aisle, South Tower and South Porch were added in the 15th century; the N. aisle and the E. wall of the chancel were largely rebuilt at the end of the 19th century, as also were the W. wall of the nave and the W. wall of the S. porch.
The south doorway, of c. 1190, is well preserved and richly embellished with chevron and dog-tooth ornament.
Architectural Description—The Chancel (19⅓ ft. by 13 ft.) has an E. wall of banded flint and ashlar, rebuilt at the end of the 19th century, with a restored 15th-century E. window of three cinquefoil ogee-headed lights with vertical tracery in a two-centred head, casement-moulded inside and out. The N. wall is of coursed rubble and has two late 15th-century square-headed windows, each of two cinquefoil lights with blind spandrels under a hollow-chamfered label with square stops. The S. wall has similar windows flanking a doorway with a chamfered segmental-pointed head, continuous jambs and run-out stops. The western window has a broad splay to accommodate a squint from the tower; the E. end of the squint has a rough four-centred head. There is no chancel arch. The Nave (34 ft. by 13¾ ft.) has on the N. side a late 15th-century arcade of three bays with high four-centred heads, each of two orders, the inner order ogeemoulded, the outer order a wide hollow-chamfer. The arches spring from piers and responds with attached three-quarter shafts, moulded capitals and bases of corresponding outline, the latter with broach spurs. The S. wall has, high up at the E. end, an old opening to a former rood-loft with a roughly chamfered segmental head; to the W. is the tower arch. The S. doorway (Plate 11) has two orders: a segmental-pointed tympanum arch with a roll-moulded edge, and a two-centred outer arch with chevron voussoirs; the label has undercut dog-tooth and nail-head enrichment and terminates in head-stops. The orders spring from moulded abaci which surmount chamfered responds for the inner order and three-quarter shafts with leaf capitals for the outer order. The nave wall to the W. of the doorway is probably of the 12th century, with flint and rubble masonry lightly skimmed with plaster; a rough rectangular corbel-stone near the eaves is perhaps in situ. The S.W. quoins and the W. wall of the nave are largely of the 19th century but the central W. buttress incorporates 15th-century material. The North Aisle (31⅓ ft. by 8 ft.) has a late 15th-century E. window of three lights, with four-centred heads and vertical tracery in a casementmoulded segmental-headed surround. The rebuilt N. wall has two restored and reset 15th-century square-headed two-light windows flanking a blocked doorway with a chamfered four-centred head and continuous jambs. The gabled W. wall has been rebuilt.
The South Tower (9½ ft. by 9¼ ft.) is of the late 15th century and has walls of Greensand ashlar in two main stages, with a moulded plinth, a hollow-chamfered intermediate string-course and an embattled parapet with a moulded coping and a moulded string-course. Three-stage diagonal buttresses occur at each corner, those on the N. truncated in the lower part by the nave; above them are corner standards with moulded bases and grotesque gargoyles at the intersection of the parapet string-course. The octagonal vice turret is in the N. part of the E. side and originally served the rood-loft as well as the ringing chamber; it terminates, a little above the intermediate string-course, in a weathered stone roof with a gargoyle finial. Internally, the vice doorway has a hollow-chamfered four-centred head, continuous jambs and broach stops; adjacent on the N. is the W. end of the blocked squint to the chancel. To the S. of the vice, the lower stage of the E. wall of the tower has a window of two cinquefoil-headed lights in an ogee-moulded square-headed surround with a label. The tower arch, in the N. wall, is two-centred and has a panelled soffit and responds, with trefoil-headed panels and hollow-chamfered ribs terminating at moulded bases; the soffit and responds are outlined with wave mouldings. In the S. wall of the tower is a large window with a casement-moulded two-centred head under a hollow-chamfered label with carved head-stops; in its present form it is probably of the 18th century but the internal splays and the hollow-chamfered rear arch are of the 15th century. In the upper stage the E., S. and W. faces of the tower have square-headed belfry windows of two cinquefoil lights in casement-moulded surrounds under square labels. The N. face has a similar opening but of one light. The South Porch (7½ ft. by 8½ ft.) has a lean-to roof against the W. side of the tower. At the S.W. corner is a small diagonal buttress of one stage with a weathered head. The S. archway is two-centred, with an ogee roll-moulding flanked inside and out by wide wave-mouldings; the roll-moulding rises from attached shafts, the wave-mouldings are continuous on the responds. The W. wall has a small loop. Inside, the porch has stone wallbenches to E. and W.
The Roofs are largely modern but the chancel retains some lengths of mediaeval ogee-moulded wall-plate; part of one truss may also be old.
Fittings—Bell: inscribed 'James Wells Aldbourn Wilts Fecit 1809'. Communion Table: of oak with turned legs, moulded and enriched top rail and plain bottom rail, 17th century, with modern extensions at each end and modern board. Door: To tower vice, with three beaded vertical oak planks, shaped iron strap-hinges and iron studs, probably 17th century. Graffiti: On lead roof of tower, mid 18th century and later.
Monument and Floor-slab. Monument: In churchyard, two paces from S. porch, table-tomb with moulded top, illegible inscription, 17th or 18th century. Floor-slab: In N. aisle, near centre of arcade, of Merry Bugg . . ., Purbeck marble slab with worn inscription. Niche: In N. aisle, on N. side of E. respond of arcade, with chamfered four-centred head and continuous jambs, 15th century. Painting: On W. arch of arcade, scroll-work in red, mouldings in red and yellow. Plate: includes silver cup with hallmark of 1765 and inscription of 1766. Pulpit: of panelled oak in three heights on four sides of hexagonal plan; top height with arabesques, lower heights of paired plain panels with moulded stiles and rails, 17th-century; base and cornice mouldings modern. Sundial: On S.W. buttress of tower, square stone dial with iron gnomon; dial with sun-face and rays in low relief, perhaps 18th century.’

<3> Newman, J, and Pevsner, N, 1972, The Buildings of England: Dorset, 89 (Monograph). SWX1290.

<4> National Record of the Historic Environment, 201792 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Apr 15 2025 4:18PM