Listed Building record MDO5854 - Chapel of St Margaret and St Anthony, St Margaret's Hill, Pamphill

Originally the chapel of leper hospital, the building has ironstone walls, and a modern tiled roof, with a timber bell-turret at west end. At the west end is a cottage which may have been the original priest's house.

The chapel was re-opened in 1885 for divine service in connection with the almshouses. <3>

<1> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1890 (Map). SWX1540.

(SU 00410036) St Margaret's Chapel (NAT)

<2> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1921, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club for 1920, xxxii (Serial). SDO17723.

THE LEPER CHAPEL OF ST. MARGARET AND ST. ANTHONY. Wimborne
A move was accordingly made for St. Margaret's, the old Leper Chapel, dating back to the time of King John, and now used as a chapel for the inmates of the adjoining alms-houses, where a paper, of which the following is a brief resume, was read by CANON FLETCHER on the history of chapel.
Leprosy is known to have existed in England in the 10th century, that is to say, more than a hundred years before the First Crusade. It was probably introduced by pilgrims returning from the Holy Land, or by traders or other travellers from the East. Its spread was due to insanitary conditions and to an excessive use of salted food. Leper Houses were religious establishments, designed for the care, rather than for the cure, of the afflicted for the benefit of the soul rather than for the relief of the body. In Dorset there were Leper Houses at Wimborne, at Allington near Bridport, and presumably at Dorchester. The Wimborne Hospital was dedicated to St. Margaret of Antioch and to St. Anthony. It was in existence in the time of King John; and, according to entries in various Patent Rolls, was for 'brothers and sisters,' lepers, who were permitted to beg for alms, and to whom protection was granted. Subsequently various gifts of land were bestowed upon them ; and, eventually, Redcoddes Chantry at the Minster appears to have been assigned to them doubtless in order that they might have a priest of their own. After leprosy had died out of the country, St. Margaret's continued to be a home for the poor and infirm, although it was shown in 1548-9 that the endowments were insufficient for their maintenance without help from the inhabitants of Wimborne. In later years, according to the Churchwardens' Accounts, a portion of the moneys levied on the Churchwardens by the County Treasurer, towards the expenses of the County Gaol, were granted for the use of the Charity of St. Margaret. In 1685 it benefited considerably under the will of Rev. W. Stone. The Chapel measures 38ft. by 13ft. The side walls of native brown heath stone, the lancet windows, and the circular ribs of the roof appear to belong to the 13th century; and the wall paintings (excepting those at the east end) are of a very early date. In the later part of the 17th century prayers were read by one of the inmates. But. for many years the Chapel was used as a tool-shed by the alms people. It was re-opened for divine service in 1885.
Tea followed in the Vicarage

<3> Work, R L B, 1954, Field Investigators Comments RLBW, F1 RLBW 16-MAR-54 (Unpublished document). SWX3791.

<4> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1975, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume V (East), 44-45 (Monograph). SDO129.

'(1) THE CHAPEL OF ST. MARGARET AND ST. ANTHONY (00410036), on the E. boundary of the parish, has walls of squared Heathstone rubble with ashlar dressings; the tiled roof has stone-slate verges. The chapel dates from early in the 13th century and originally served a leper hospital (Hutchins III, 247), now represented by a group of almshouses (41–44). The chapel has recently been restored and some mediaeval features noted previously have been obliterated; they include 13th-century wall-paintings of minor importance (Tristram, Eng. Mediaeval Wall Painting, II (13th cent.), 204).

Architectural Description—The E. wall of the undivided Chancel and Nave has a round-headed 19th-century window; the gable is of brickwork. The N.E. corner retains the lower part of an original pilaster buttress. In the eastern part of the N. wall is a restored square-headed 15th-century window of two cinquefoil-headed lights; the embrasure is spanned by an oak beam. The adjacent 13th-century doorway has a two-centred head of two chamfered orders and continuous jambs with shaped stops; the rear-arch is segmental. Further W. is a later N. doorway, perhaps of the 16th century, with a chamfered two-centred head, continuous jambs and broach stops; the rear-arch is two-centred. A window similar to that of the 15th century described above has recently been formed in the wall between the two doorways. The S. wall has, near the E. end, a window dating from the second half of the 13th century; it is of Purbeck stone and has two trefoil-headed lights and wide internal splays spanned by a chamfered oak lintel. Further W., an original lancet light with a chamfered Heathstone surround and wide internal splays with an oak lintel has recently been replaced by a modern two-light window as on the N. Near the W. end of the S. wall a former doorway, partly blocked, is used as a window; it has a chamfered two-centred head and continuous jambs of Heathstone ashlar and is possibly of the 13th century. The quoin of the S.W. corner marks the position of the former W. wall, now gone and replaced by a timber-frame partition between the chapel and the adjacent cottage (41).
The Roof, probably of the 16th century, has 20 arch-braced collared rafters springing from chamfered wall-plates.

Fittings—Chest: Of oak, with moulded uprights and fielded panels, 18th century. Communion Table: Of oak, with stout turned legs and fluted top rails, 17th century. Glass: Reset in E. window, roundel with rose, 15th century. Paintings: (now hidden)—In chancel, on N. and S. walls, lozenge pattern (Plate 24) in red with leaf centres, 13th century; in nave, on N. wall, traces of figure subject; on S. wall, faint traces of three figures, an illegible inscription in black-letter, and some 'ashlar' ruling; probably 14th and 15th century.'

<5> National Record of the Historic Environment, 213210 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

<6> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1572742 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 26 2025 12:03PM