Listed Building record MWX664 - Parish Church of St Nicholas, Arne

A parish church dating to the late 12th or early 13th century and largely unaltered. It consists of a nave, chancel and south porch. The remains of a medieval wall painting are visible above the door.

Parish Church of St Nicholas at Arne with roughly squared and faced carstone walls, consists of a single-cell chancel and nave built in the late 12th or early 13th century and a south porch which is also of medieval origin. The church was restored in the mid 19th century and in 1952. <2>

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

… where they were met by the Rev. SELWYN BLACKETT, rector of Wareham and perpetual curate of Arne, who had kindly come out to receive them. Mr. Blackett said that the simple little church dated from the early part of the 13th century, but had been restored. It was interesting to observe that the heads of the windows were each cut out of a single stone. Arne used to belong to Shaftesbury Abbey, and when the tenants paid their rent they were given a ticket entitling them to a dinner at the Abbey any time they were passing. The church possesses an altar-slab of shelly limestone, of ancient date.

The Rev. R. GROSVENOR BARTELOT asked what became of the lovely old Trinity frontal ? Mr. BLACKETT answered that it disappeared mysteriously, but he believed that it was in the possession of Lord Eldon, who, by the bye, presented the church with beautiful Communion vessels, silver-gilt, studded with rubies.

<1> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1925 (Map). SWX1540.

<2> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 1, 9 (Monograph). SDO148.

<3> Newman, J, and Pevsner, N, 1972, The Buildings of England: Dorset, 77 (Monograph). SWX1290.

<4> National Record of the Historic Environment, 456638 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 22 2025 5:10PM