Listed Building record MDO8836 - Church of St Michael, Anderson

A medieval church, much altered in the eighteenth century, and largely rebuilt at the end of the nineteenth century. The walls are of flint and stone, put in bands in the nave. The roof is tiled, with stone eaves courses.

Church of St. Michael B. Parish Church. Rebuilt with old materials in 1889. Good stone bellcote probably C.13. Mural monument early C.19. <1>

Parish Church of St. Michael, Anderson, although largely rebuilt in 1889 still retains the original plan. The south wall of the chancel probably contains some Medieval fabric at least in its lower part, and the west wall of the nave appears to reuse some 13th century stonework from the original west wall. The south chapel was built in 1755 and altered in 1889. <3>

Church of St Michael. Former Parish Church, now redundant. <4>

<1> DOE (HHR), 1954, List of Buildings of Special Historic or Architectural Interest: Blandford Rural District, 1 (Scheduling record). SDO17701.

<2> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1963 (Map). SWX1540.

(SY 88029754) St Michael's Church (NAT)

<3> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 1, 5 (Monograph). SDO146.

‘(1) THE PARISH CHURCH OF ST. MICHAEL stands in Anderson village. The nave walls are of banded flint and Heathstone ashlar, the S. chapel is of banded flint and brick, the chancel is rendered; the roofs are tiled, with stone-slate verges. Although largely rebuilt in 1889 the original plan is preserved. The S. wall of the Chancel is probably mediaeval, at least in its lower part; the Nave was rebuilt in 1889 with the W. wall approximately as before, but higher, witness an early photograph kept in the church; it appears originally to have been of the 13th century. The South Chapel was built in 1755 and altered in 1889.
Architectural Description—The walls of the Chancel (17 ft. by 9 ft.) are rendered, but the extra thickness of the S. wall and the presence of a mediaeval piscina suggest that it is mediaeval. The E. and N. walls and all three windows are of 1889. The Nave (28 ft. by 12 ft.) has modern N. and S. walls of banded flint and ashlar; the W. wall, of similar construction, has a central pilaster corbelled out to support a bell-cote at the apex of the gable. The corbels are roll-moulded and the apertures for the bells have chamfered trefoiled heads; the top of the cote is weathered; these features reproduce the previous arrangement, with re-use of some of the 13th-century stonework that composed it. The South Chapel (12½ ft. by 11¼ ft.) has a flint plinth with a chamfered ashlar capping; the S. gable contains a date-stone of 1755 with the initials T.T., for Thomas Tregonwell. The S. window is of the late 19th century. To the N. of the E. doorway are traces of an earlier opening, now blocked. The timber South Porch is modern.
Fittings—Bells: two; 1st inscribed M … M, 2nd with 'Ave gracia', both mediaeval. Font: In S. chapel, octagonal Purbeck marble bowl with central drain-hole, mediaeval, now detached and disused. Monuments: On S. wall of nave, (1) of Margaret (Baskett) Galpine, 1803 and others of same family, marble disc with moulded border and fine lettering, by J. Brine, 1807. In churchyard, E. of chancel (2) of John Marsh, 1763, tomb-slab. Piscina: In chancel, in S. wall, with chamfered ogee head and continuous jambs, basin with drain-hole, front part cut off, 14th century. Plate: includes silver cup of 1684 engraved with lozenge-of-arms of Tregonwell; also pewter flagon and dish, both 18th century. Miscellanea: In S. chapel, over S. window, plaster cartouche-of-arms of Tregonwell impaling Lister, 18th century, perhaps originally from S. chapel ceiling.’

<4> Newman, J, and Pevsner, N, 1972, The Buildings of England: Dorset, 76 (Monograph). SWX1290.

<5> National Record of the Historic Environment, 455793 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Mar 15 2023 12:24PM