Parish Church of St Christopher is a Grade II* listed building in the Dorset local planning authority area, England. First listed on 20 November 1959. A Norman Parish church.
Parish Church of St Christopher
- WRENN ID
- rusted-jade-dawn
- Grade
- II*
- Local Planning Authority
- Dorset
- Constituency
- South Dorset MP: Lloyd Hatton (Lab)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 20 November 1959
- Type
- Parish church
- Period
- Norman
- Address
- Parish Church of St Christopher, Oat Hill, Winfrith Newburgh
- OS grid reference
- SY 805 843
- Coordinates
- 50.6585, -2.27706
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The Parish Church of St Christopher is a parish church with origins dating back to the 12th century. The chancel was added in the 13th century, while the nave and tower were constructed in the 15th century. The porch was added in the 17th century, and the north aisle was introduced, with the east wall of the chancel rebuilt and the church significantly restored in the 19th century. The church features walls made of stone slates, with slate roofs over the nave and aisle.
The structure includes a nave, a north aisle with four bays, a west tower, a south porch, and a chancel that has an organ chamber on the north side. The east wall of the chancel is adorned with three lancet windows from the 19th century. The south wall features two lancets with ogee heads and a priest's door, all from the 13th century. The south wall of the nave has a restored four-light window from the 15th century, with a similar window located west of the porch. The porch has a segmental-arched doorway, while the inner doorway to the nave is from the 12th century and consists of two orders.
The tower is built in three stages, topped with a battlemented parapet and decorated with well-crafted gargoyles. The top stage includes two-light belfry windows with stone louvres, and the second stage has single-light windows. The west wall of the lowest stage features a three-light window, all dating from the 15th century. The north aisle, added in the 19th century, has windows in the Perpendicular style. The north doorway showcases elaborate "Norman" detailing and may incorporate some reused 12th-century materials.
Inside, the church has a pointed chancel arch of Transitional Norman design supported by scalloped caps and responds. All roofs date from the 19th century, with queen post construction in the nave and chancel and braced collar construction in the aisle. There are several 18th-century wall tablets, and the pulpit, pews, and font are all from the 19th century.
Local climate
Parish Church of St Christopher receives an average of 810 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 51% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 77% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 12 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 89% of listed buildings. Of these, 4 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
More on this building
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- No EPC on record for this property
- No sale records on file
- No related consent applications matched
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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Nearby listed buildings
- Headstone in Churchyard of Parish Church 6 M West of the North Aisle
- Headstone in Churchyard of Parish Church Immediately South of Item 18/378a
- Table Tomb in Churchyard of Parish Church 14 M East-South-East of the Chancel
- Lych Gate to Parish Church
- Boundary Wall to Churchyard of Parish Church
- Boundary Wall to Manor House Along Oat Hill
- Stable Block to Marley House
- Manor House
- Marley House
- Coach House at Winfrith Court