Listed Building record MWX122 - Parish Church of St Mary, Burton Bradstock

A parish church comprising nave, chancel, south aisle, transepts, central tower, vestry and north porch. The nave dates to the 14th century, while the transepts, crossing, tower and porch are of the 15th century. The chancel is 16th century in date and the south aisle was added in 1833. Further work was carried out in 1897 and later. Listed.

Parish Church of St Mary. C14th nave, C15th crossing, transepts and central tower, C16th chancel, South aisle of 1833, rebuilt by E S Prior in 1897.

National Record of the Historic Environment, 863861 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Long E T, Our Heritage, The history of The church of St. Mary, Burton Bradstock, The church of St. Martin, Shipton Gorge, The parish church, Chilcombe (Monograph). SDO18247.

Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1910, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club, lvi (Serial). SDO21.

At the Church the Rector, the Rev. F. T. HARRISON, gave an interesting account of the parish.
Burton was "Bride-ton," the tun or village of the Bride ; and Bradstock, Bradenstoke, because it belonged to the priory of St. Augustine at that place in Wilts. Henry I. gave the manor to the Abbey of Caen, in Normandy, to redeem the regalia which the Conqueror had at his death handed over to that abbey. The church is a large, handsome, cruciform structure, principally Perpendicular, with a high tower adorned with battlements and containing five bells. Originally in that parish they had no less than six churches or chapels. The Rev. C. H. W. DICKER added a few words about the Norman history of the church, and called attention to the Jacobean communicants' rails, as prescribed by Archbishop Laud, and with projecting nobs supposed to be intended to help old people rise from the kneeling posture. Upon the front of the rails is carved the date IfiSfi and the initials of the churchwardens of that year.

Emden, A B, 1977, Medieval Decorated Tiles in Dorset (Monograph). SDO13180.

Stubbs, E J, 2002, The Victorian Church in Burton Bradstock (Monograph). SDO18248.

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 57-60 (Monograph). SDO97.

<2> Newman, J, and Pevsner, N, 1972, The Buildings of England: Dorset, 123-4 (Monograph). SWX1290.

<3> Ordnance Survey, 1:2500 scale, 1978 (Map). SWX1197.

St Mary's Church [NAT]

<3> DOE (HRR), 1984, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest: District of West Dorset amendment 1984, 29 (Scheduling record). SWX1372.

<4> Buller Ridler, C H, St. Mary, Burton Bradstock, A souvenir of the Church and Village (Monograph). SDO18246.

Record last edited

Jul 28 2025 3:19PM