Church Of St Mary

TURNWORTH ST 80 NW MAIN STREET (West side)

4/89 Church of St Mary 14-7-55 GV II*

Church, C15 west tower, remainder 1869 by G R Crickmay after J Hicks with some input by Thomas Hardy. Banded flint and rubble with tiled roof having stone copings. Plan: west tower; nave; chancel; north aisle and organ chamber, south porch. 2 stage west tower with octagonal north vice, diagonal buttresses and plain parapet with string bearing gargoyles. To the west is a 4-centred opening into which a C19 window has been inserted. Above is a 3-light C19 window with pointed head, Perpendicular tracery and a label with head-stops. The belfry windows are of 2 lights with pointed heads and returned labels. The main body of the church is windowed with chamfered lancets. The east chancel window is of 3 graduated, trefoiled lancets. The chancel has a pointed, chamfered south doorway. The porch has a pointed arch of 2 chamfered orders with a label terminating in headstops.

Interior: 3 bay arcade with pointed arches having flat soffits and keel mouldings to the arrises. The arcade is on round piers with moulded bases and carved capitals in the early French gothic style, said to have been designed by Thomas Hardy the author. The chancel to organ chamber arch is of a similar pattern. The chancel arch is again similar but with roll mouldings and springing from carved angel respond corbels. Restored C15, moulded, pointed tower arch with continuous outer chamfer and inner mouldings terminating in C19 carved respond corbels. Chamfered, 4-centred vice doorway. East chancel window has shafted rear-arch. Scissor-braced nave roof springing from oversized head corbels. Boarded waggon roof to chancel. Collar-truss roof to aisle. C19 shafted wooden pulpit. Elaborate c19 font with carved stone biblical scenes. Various c19 and C20 monuments, some reset including tablet with sarcophagus and weeper to Mark Davis, died 1832, by Simmonds of Blandford. c19 encaustic tiles; c19 and C20 glass. (RCHM, Dorset, vol.III, p.290 no.1. Newman, J and Pevsner, N., The Buildings of England: Dorset, 1972, p.430/1.) )

Listing NGR: ST8211707490