Listed Building record MDO5291 - Parish church of St Mary, Winterborne Stickland

The building has walls of flint and rubble, banded in places, with ashlar dressings, and the roof is partly covered in slate and partly tile with stone-slate verges. The earliest parts of the present building appear to be the chancel and nave which are of 13th-century origin. The tower was built in the late 15th or early 16th century and the porch in the 16th century, while a tomb chamber was added in the late 18th century. The church was restored in 1892.

THE PARISH CHURCH OF ST. MARY stands near the centre of the village. It has walls of flint and rubble, banded in places and elsewhere mixed indiscriminately, and ashlar dressings; the roofs are partly slated and partly tiled, with stone-slate verges. The Chancel is of 13th-century origin; the Nave is also of the 13th century but with 18th-century windows; the West Tower is of the late 15th or early 16th century; the Porch is of the 16th century; a Tomb Chamber was added in the second half of the 18th century. The church was restored in 1892. <2,3>

Church of St Mary. Grade I. <4,5>

Le Pard, Gordon, 1998, Medieval sundials in Dorset. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society 119, 70 Fig 1.7, 85 (Article in serial). SDO21411.

<1> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey map 1:10,560, 1969 (Map). SDO18658.

(ST 83450463) Ch (NAT)

<2> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 2, 305-306 (Monograph). SDO136.

‘(1) THE PARISH CHURCH OF ST. MARY stands near the centre of the village. It has walls of flint and rubble, banded in places and elsewhere mixed indiscriminately, and ashlar dressings; the roofs are partly slated and partly tiled, with stone-slate verges. The Chancel is of 13th-century origin; the Nave is also of the 13th century but with 18th-century windows; the West Tower is of the late 15th or early 16th century; the Porch is of the 16th century; a Tomb Chamber was added in the second half of the 18th century. The church was restored in 1892.
The church is of some interest, especially for the 18th-century alterations which have much in common with those in the church at Charlton Marshall (see p. 57).
Architectural Description—The Chancel (20 ft. by 13½ ft.) has a gabled E. wall with three widely spaced gradated lancet windows, with heavily chamfered heads and jambs and two-centred rear-arches. In the N. wall is a square-headed opening to the tomb chamber. The S. wall has, to the E., a square-headed casement-moulded window of c. 1500, of two lights with two-centred heads; adjacent is a doorway of about the same date as the window, with a moulded four-centred head, continuous jambs, run-out stops and a square label with quatrefoil stops. Further W. is a square-headed window of c. 1500, similar to that first described but of three lights; inside, the widely splayed W. jamb probably remains from a 13th-century window. The chancel arch is of the 13th century; it is two-centred and of two chamfered orders, the inner order dying into the responds and the outer order continuing on the jambs. The Tomb Chamber (13½ ft. square) was built to accommodate a tomb dated 1756. In the E. wall is a doorway with a chamfered four-centred head; internally it has a moulded wooden architrave with a pulvinated classical entablature and pediment. In the gabled N. wall is an elliptical-headed window with an ashlar surround, with plain impost-blocks and keystone; the rear-arch has a moulded wooden architrave.
The Nave (20 ft. by 40 ft.) has a N. wall with a chamfered plinth, and a hollow-chamfered string-course with traces of former gargoyles now broken off; above is an ashlar parapet with a moulded coping. The square-set ashlar buttress at the E. end of the N. wall, with weathered offsets in two stages, is probably of the 13th century; the somewhat similar buttress at the W. end of the N. wall is contemporary with the W. tower; between these buttresses are three square-set two-stage buttresses of flint and ashlar, probably of the 18th century. Alternating with the 18th-century buttresses are three 18th-century round-headed single-light windows with moulded ashlar architraves and plain keystones and impost-blocks. To the W., at a higher level and presumably corresponding with a former W. gallery, is a smaller round-headed window with a similar surround. The S. wall of the nave is generally similar to the N., but with buttresses only at the E. and W. ends. That on the E. is of the 13th century, that on the W. is contemporary with the W. tower, At the W. end of the ashlar parapet is an incised date, perhaps 1576, but it is badly defaced. The S. doorway, with a chamfered segmental-pointed head and continuous jambs, is probably of the 18th century; the round-headed rear-arch may be earlier. To the E. of the doorway are two 18th-century windows and to the W. is a gallery window, all as described in the N. wall. Ashlar quoin-stones above the porch suggest that the porch walls were formerly higher.
The West Tower (12 ft. by 9½ ft.) is of banded flint and ashlar. It is of two stages, with a hollow-chamfered plinth, a weathered string-course between the stages and a moulded string-course to the embattled parapet; at the corners of the parapet are four pinnacles with crocketed finials. In the lower stage, the N.W. and S.W. corners have diagonal buttresses of two weathered stages; there is no vice turret. The tower arch is two-centred and of one chamfered order with chamfered capitals; on the E. side the arch is enriched with an ogee moulding and shaped stops, probably an 18th-century alteration. In the S. wall is a blocked doorway with a chamfered two-centred head. In the W. wall is a square-headed casement-moulded window of three two-centred lights with cinquefoil cusping; above, near the top of the lower stage is a square-headed chamfered loop. In the E., N. and S. faces the upper stage has belfry windows of two cinquefoil-headed lights, with central quatrefoils in chamfered two-centred heads under hollow-chamfered labels with square stops. The W. face appears originally to have had a similar belfry window but the head has been filled in and the lights are now square-headed.
The South Porch (7½ ft. square) is of banded flint and ashlar, with an 18th-century sundial on the S. gable. The porch archway is two-centred and of two-chamfered orders with continuous jambs.
The Roof of the chancel retains elements of a timber and plaster wagon roof, of c. 1500, including moulded ribs and a heavily moulded wall-plate with quatrefoil enrichments. The nave roof is also of wagon type, segmental-pointed in cross-section, and heavily encrusted with whitewash and plaster; the intersections appear to be masked by foliate bosses. The panelled oak ceiling of the lower storey of the tower is of the 18th century.
Fittings—Bells: four; treble inscribed 'RA. TB. 1670. Henry Wolfryes John Stevens wardens', 2nd modern, 3rd inscribed 'Serve the Lord, 1622', 4th inscribed 'Give thankes to God, ID. RT. 1626'. Benefactor's Table: In tomb chamber, painted wooden panel with moulded surround recording bequest of £200 in South Sea stock, 1769. Candelabra: In chancel, turned brass pendant with upper tier of three and lower tier of six sconces on scrolled brass brackets, late 17th or early 18th century. Chest: of oak with panelled sides, 18th century. Communion Table: In tower, of oak, with moulded edges to top, arcuated rails with turned pendant, moulded tapering octagonal legs, shaped and scrolled diagonal stretchers with turned centre finial, early 18th century. Doors: In S. doorway, of planks, with iron studs and heavy strap hinges, 18th century; in porch archway, wooden gates with spiked cresting, late 18th or early 19th century. Font: of Portland stone (Plate 27), with moulded octagonal bowl on square pedestal with moulded cap and gadrooned base; oak cover with ogee-profiled octagonal dome and turned vase-shaped finial; early 18th century. Graffiti: On responds of tower arch, 17th and 18th-century initials and dates.
Monuments: In chancel, on N. wall, (1) of Rachel, wife of Rev. William Sutton, 1653, and their children William, 1645, and Barabra, 1652, wall-monument (Plate 33) in form of Ionic column and entablature supported on console, with Latin inscription on shaft; on S. wall, (2) of Honor Clavering, 1708, and the Rev. Robert Clavering, 1735, rector, wall-monument (Plate 38) with cherub-head console, scrolled apron with cartouche-of-arms of Clavering impaling West of Shillingstone, heavily gadrooned string-course, inscription-tablet flanked by scrolled cheek-pieces with fruit and flower swags, and entablature and broken segmental pediment with vase and lamp finials; (3) of John Richardson, 1795, rector, oval marble tablet. At centre of tomb chamber, (4) of Thomas Skinner of Dewlish, 1756, and his wife Barbara, 1769, Portland stone table-tomb with panelled and enriched sides, scrolled ends and polished black marble top, with oval medallion containing arms of Skinner with quarterings. In tomb chamber, on S. wall, (5) of Mary Beale, 1822, marble inscription-panel with urn finial. In churchyard, one pace S. of chancel, (6) of Elizabeth Hall, 1711, shaped headstone; two paces N. of nave, (7) of George Lillington, 1782, headstone with inserted lunette of Coade stone.
Panelling: In tower, 18th-century oak dado; in tomb chamber, on E. and S. walls, pinewood dado, on W. wall, reset oak panelling. Piscina: In nave, in S. wall, with chamfered two-centred head and continuous jambs, polygonal basin with central outlet, 13th century. Plate: includes silver cup and cover paten with hallmarks of 1687 and scratched inscription 'In usum Ecclesiae de Stickland, an. do. 1688', also two 18th-century pewter alms-dishes. Pulpit: of oak, hexagonal, on panelled plinth; two sides of pulpit formed by walls of nave, three sides with two heights of fielded panelling between moulded top and bottom rails, with book-rest on scrolled bracket; open-string stairs of four steps with square handrail with moulded capping and turned balusters and newel post; 18th century. Screen: In opening between chancel and tomb chamber, reset moulded oak members with quatrefoil panel enrichment and foliate bosses, possibly fragments of late 15th-century rood-screen, made up with later work. Sundial: On gable of S. porch, with faces to S.E. and S.W., each face with Roman numerals and scrolled iron gnomon; 18th century. Miscellanea: In tomb chamber, on S. wall, stone cartouche-of-arms with wreath surround; arms, a blank coat impaling Strickland (sic), 17th century. In S. porch, reset on E. wall, semicircular stone panel depicting crucifixion, with two flanking figures, 15th century (see drawing below). In tomb chamber, loose, lead panel with cast inscription, 'Mr. John Jollie Will Albeart CW 1714', with two sun bosses; probably from former roof.’

<3> DOE (HHR), 1954, List of Buildings of Special Historic or Architectural Interest: Blandford Rural District (Scheduling record). SDO17701.

<4> DOE (HHR), 1985, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest: North Dorset District, 53 (Scheduling record). SDO17732.

<5> Newman, J, and Pevsner, N, 1972, The Buildings of England: Dorset, 485-6 (Monograph). SWX1290.

<6> Historic England, Historic England Archive, BF051599 (Index). SDO14738.

CHURCH OF ST MARY, WINTERBORNE STICKLAND: File of material relating to a site or building. This material has not yet been fully catalogued. Copyright, date, and quantity information for this record may be incomplete or inaccurate.

<7> National Record of the Historic Environment, 205786 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

May 1 2025 12:22PM