Church Of St Nicholas

ST 80 NE DURWESTON CHURCH ROAD

6/23 Church of St Nicholas 14-7-55 GV II*

Parish church, C15 west tower, main body of church 1846, north vestries, organ chamber and extension of chancel 1913/14. 1846 work by Hardwick for Baron Portman, 1913/14 work by Green of Blandford for Viscount Portman. Tower of greensand ashlar, main body of church of chequered flint and squared greens and blocks. Tiled roofs with stone-slate verges and end stone copings. West tower of 3 stages with plinth divided by weathered strings, the parapet string bearing gargoyles. It has a rectangular north vice turret with rectangular loops and diagonal buttresses of 4 weathered stages. Southern buttress has pointed niche. 15 west doorway with 4-centred, moulded head and label with carved, square stops. Above is a 3-light, pointed window with Perpendicular tracery and stopped label. Niches to first and second stage of south wall and second stage-of west wall. 2-light belfry windows with Perpendicular tracery under pointed heads with labels. Embattled parapet with crocketted finials, some of which have recently been taken down. South aisle has 2 square-headed, Perpendicular tracery windows of 2 lights to west of porch and 3 lights to east. East aisle wall has 2-light perpendicular tracery window under pointed head. Eastern north and south chancel windows are of 2-lights under pointed heads with quatrefoils. South wall has paired lancets with labels with head stops. East chancel window of 5 lights and idiosyncratic perpendicular tracery under 2-centred head. North nave wall has 3 lancets and to the west, a 2-light pointed head window with label. The 1913/14 range has square-headed Perpendicular windows and a 4-centred doorway. Gabled south porch. South door has chamfered 4-centred head, reset, with black letter inscriptions dated 1455.

Interior features. 5 bay pointed arch arcade of 2 chamfered orders springing from octagonal piers with moulded capitals and bases. Pointed, moulded chancel arch with attached respond shafts with capitals and bases. Pointed tower arch of 2 hollow chamfered orders dying into responds. Arch braced collar nave roof divided into sub bays. Principals spring from corbels. Barrel-vaulted chancel roof with central, carved angel bosses. Aisle has tie-beam and king-post roof. Over south door is reset medieval sculpture of farrier said to depict St Elio. Tapering octagonal C12 font on octagonal stem on square base. Base cut to take four detached shafts. Various C18, C19 and C20 monuments. C19 cusped, ogee-headed piscina. C19 glass. Other features C19/C20. (RCHM, Dorset, vol. III, pp 89-91, no. 1. Newman, J and Pevsner, N. The Buildings of England, Dorset, Penguin, 1972, p 191. Anne Hosford, The Parish Church of Durweston and Bryanston, 1978.

Listing NGR: ST8587308523