Church Of St Peter

PIMPERNE CHURCH ROAD ST 9009 (South side) 6/20 Church of St Peter 26.6.53 GV II*

Parish church, mid C15, remainder 1873-4 except for some reset C12 features. 1870s work by J B Green for Viscount Portman. Ashlar and snecked rubble with slate roofs having gable stone copings. Plan: nave, chancel, north and south aisles, west tower, north and south vestries. Tower: 3 stage with C19 parapet, gargoyles and pinnacles; diagonal buttresses, that to the south containing a niche; 3-light pointed west window with Perpendicular tracery under label with carved stops; C19 octagonal south vice; second stage has 2-light, pointed window with Perpendicular tracery; 2-light pointed, Perpendicular tracery belfry windows. C19 parts of the church have highly idiosyncratic tracery under pointed or segmental-pointed heads. The east window is of 5-lights with Perpendicular tracery under a pointed head.

Internal features: reset C12 south doorway has round, chevron arch with an enriched tympanum shaped to form a segmental arch, the shafted responds have carved, scalloped capitals and moulded bases; reset C12 chancel arch in north wall of chancel with pointed, chevron-decorated head of 2 orders and shafted responds with carved capitals and moulded bases; 3-bay aisles with moulded segmental-pointed arches on piers of 4-clustered shafts; restored C15 tower arch of 3 orders, the innermost springing from C19 carved angel corbels; C19 arch braced collar truss roof with pendants and king-posts springing from carved angel corbels; tie-beam chancel roof springing from foliage carved corbels; C19 traceried stone pulpit; C12 font with round bowl with enriched scrollwork on cylindrical stem with moulded base with masks in spandrels; C19 tent shaped stone font cover with pierced spandrels; reset C17 brass monument to Dorothy Williams in vestry; various C19 monuments; C19 glass. (RCHM, Dorset, vol.IV, p.52/3, no.1. Newman. J and Pevsner, N. The Buildings of England: Dorset, 1972. p.315/6.)

Listing NGR: ST9037009415