Listed Building record MDO9479 - Church of All Saints, Gussage All Saints

Parish church, 14th century with upper stage of tower 15th century. North vestry and general restoration of 1864, by Ewan Christian. Flint and rubble walls with ashlar dressings; tower partly in ashlar and partly in banded flint and ashlar. Tiled roofs with gable stone copings. Shallow 2-stage buttresses. Nave, chancel, south tower above porch and north vestry.

(ST 99841082) All Saints' Church (NAT). <2>

The parish church of All Saints has flint and rubble walls with ashlar dressings and tile covered roofs. The chancel, nave and the lower part of the south tower are of the early 14th century. The upper stages of the tower are 15th century. The church was restored and re-roofed in 1864, when a new chancel arch was built and the north vestry was added. <1, 4>

Church of All Saints. Grade I. <3, 5>

<1> DOE (HHR), 1951, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest: Wimborne and Cranborne RD, 5 (Scheduling record). SDO17339.

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

<3> Newman, J, and Pevsner, N, 1972, The Buildings of England: Dorset, 218 (Monograph). SWX1290.

<4> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1975, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume V (East), 18-19, No 1 Plan & Photo (Monograph). SDO129.

‘(1) The Parish Church of All Saints, in the N.W. of the village, has flint and rubble walls with ashlar dressings, and tile-covered roofs (Plate 3). The Chancel, Nave and the lower part of the South Tower are of the early 14th century; the upper stages of the tower are of the 15th century. The church was restored and re-roofed in 1864, and at this time a new chancel arch was built and the N. vestry was added.

Architectural Description— The Chancel has an E. window of three gradated cinquefoil-headed lights with pierced spandrel lights under a two-centred head; the rear-arch is segmental-pointed with septfoil cusping. The buttresses are of two stages with weathered offsets. The N. wall has a window of two trefoil-headed lights with a cusped spandrel light under a two-centred head, with a segmental-pointed rear-arch with cinquefoil cusping. The archway to the N. vestry is said to incorporate stones from the original chancel arch (Dorset Procs., XVII (1896), 84); it is segmental-pointed and of three chamfered orders. The S. wall has two windows uniform with that on the N. and, between them, a doorway with a chamfered two-centred head, continuous jambs and a chamfered segmental-pointed rear-arch.

The Nave has three N. windows similar to those on N. and S. of the chancel, but with cinquefoil-headed lights. The blocked N. doorway has a two-centred head with continuous jambs, rounded in section, and a chamfered segmental-pointed rear-arch. The buttresses are of ashlar and have two weathered stages and heavily chamfered plinths. Inside, a moulded string-course at window-sill level on the N. wall is carried as a label across the rear-arch of the N. doorway; similar string-courses occur on the E., W. and S. sides of the nave. The S. wall has windows uniform with those on the N., and similar buttresses, but with double chamfered plinths. The S. doorway has a two-centred head of two orders, the outer order chamfered, the inner rounded, with continuous jambs; the segmental-pointed rear-arch is chamfered. The W. wall of the nave has a window uniform with that on the E. of the chancel, and buttresses similar to those on the S. of the nave.

The South Tower is of three stages defined by weathered and moulded string-courses; the lower stage is original, the upper stages are of 15th-century date. The lower stage, with angle buttresses of two stages with weathered offsets and double chamfered plinths, is two-storeyed, the lower storey forming a South Porch with an archway with a two-centred head of two chamfered orders, continuous jambs and shaped stops. The upper storey of the lower stage is a ringing chamber with E., W. and S. lancet windows. The three-stage vice turret, added in the 15th century, terminates in the second stage of the tower and has a weathered head. The doorway at the foot of the vice, with a chamfered two-centred head, is of 1864; previously the stair was entered from the porch. The second stage of the tower has ashlar and flint banding; on the N. is a square-headed window. The third stage, of ashlar, has in each face a belfry window of two trefoil-headed lights with a central quatrefoil above, in a two-centred head with a label. The corners of the third stage have pilasters which continue as pinnacles in the restored embattled parapet and end in crocketed finials.

Fittings—Bells: five; treble modern, 2nd with 'Feare God, I.W. 1621' in Roman capitals, 3rd with 'Sancta Anna Ora Po (sic) Nobis', 4th with 'Sane Te Petre Ora Pro Nobis', 5th with 'In Ter Sede Pia Pronobis Virgo Maria'; 3rd, 4th and 5th, black-letter, from Salisbury foundry, mid 15th-century. Brasses: In nave floor, on E., plate (19 ins. by 4 ins.) with Latin black-letter inscription of Isabella Whitwod, 1508; adjacent on W., plate (11½ ins. by 4½ ins.) with English black-letter inscription of Richard Pane, 1574. Chair: of oak, with turned and moulded front legs and stretchers, carved and moulded rails, shaped arm rests, panelled back now reversed, and shaped cresting, mid 17th century. Door: at foot of tower stair, plain oak with strap-hinges, perhaps 15th century. Font: Purbeck marble, with octagonal bowl, moulded below, on cylindrical stem and hollow chamfered cylindrical stone base; early 14th century.

Monument and Floor-slab. Monument: In nave, in N. wall (Plate 12), shallow recess with crocketed ogee head with foliate and hollow-chamfered cusping, subcusping and ball-flower enrichment, flanked by pinnacles with gabled and crocketed finials, 14th century (Dorset Procs., XVII (1896), 84). Floor-slab: In nave, of John Brewer, 1805, Sarah his wife, 1816, and others of their family.

Organ: By Walker, in mahogany case with round-headed openings flanked by pilasters with swags, with moulded entablature and central cartouche with shields-of-arms probably of Willis and Calandrine; late 18th century, said to have been used by Sir James Turle.

Piscinae: In chancel in S. wall, restored bowl in recess with cinquefoil two-centred head, continuous jambs and shaped stops; in nave, near E. end of N. wall, bowl in recess with trefoil two-centred head, continuous jambs and shaped stops, sill restored; near E. end of S. wall, similar to the foregoing; all early 14th century.

Plate: includes silver cup, probably late 16th century, with strapwork band on bowl and trellis pattern above knop, inscribed 'The Cope of Alhollone Guysshedge Parrishe'; stand-paten with assay marks of 1784, baluster shaped stem and donor's inscription of 1833; also two pewter alms-dishes, probably early 19th century.

Recess: see Monument.’

<5> DOE (HHR), 1986, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest: Wimborne District, 14 (Scheduling record). SDO18076.

<6> National Record of the Historic Environment, 210125 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Apr 16 2025 3:11PM