Church Of Saint John

TOLPUDDLE DORCHESTER ROAD SY 7994 (South Side)

15/172 Church of Saint John

26.1.56

GV I

Anglican parish church. C12 origin, enlarged in C13 and C14. Restored 1855, architect T H Wyatt. Walls a mixture of flint and rubble stone, with ashlar dressings. Copper roofs to nave, aisle and transept. Slate roofs with coped gables to chancel and porch. Nave, north aisle of 2 bays, north transept, very shallow south transept, chancel, west tower, south porch. Tower of 2 stages, lower part early C13, raised in C15. Corbel table and string course at junction of stages. Battlemented parapet, with string course at base. 2-light belfry windows, with Perpendicular tracery, and hoodmoulds. Small rectangular windows to lower stage. Angle buttresses to lower stage. Main west window, 4-centred arched, of 3 lights, mullioned and transomed. Porch has segmental pointed arched doorway. Inner doorway. C12, round arched with solid tympanum. In south nave wall, west of porch, a C19 two 2-light window with curvilinear tracery. Similar window in south transept. In nave wall, east of porch, a square headed 3-light window with cinquefoil lights and hoodmould. In north and south chancel walls, one single light and one 2-light C19 lancet, with trefoil heads. Priest's door in south wall. East window, C19, of 3 stepped lancets, trefoil-headed. 2 lancets in east wall of north transept and one in west wall. In north wall a 3-light window with Perpendicular tracery. In north aisle wall a re-set blocked C12 doorway. One 2-light and one 3-light window with -Perpendicular tracery. Single lancet in west wall of aisle. Internally, walls plastered. Chancel, largely rebuilt in C19 has trussed rafter roof, with principals carried on carved stone corbels. Chancel arch, C14, of 2 orders, with octagonal responds. Remains of rood doorway in arcade wall. Nave arcade of 2 chamfered orders, continuous, without capitals. Similar arch to south transept. Arch to north transept of 2 orders, dying into flat responds. Similar arch to tower. Nave roof, C14, with tie beams and braced crown posts. King post roof to porch. C19 roofs to north transept and aisle. In transept, C12 monument to a vested priest - figure in low relief. Trefoiled piscina in east wall. (RCHM Monument 1. Dorset Vol III)

Listing NGR: SY7907194499