Church of St Mary is a Grade II* listed building in the Dorset local planning authority area, England. First listed on 14 July 1955. A Medieval Church. 1 related planning application.

Church of St Mary

WRENN ID
far-buttress-cobweb
Grade
II*
Local Planning Authority
Dorset
Constituency
North Dorset MP: Simon Hoare (Con)
Country
England
Date first listed
14 July 1955
Type
Church
Period
Medieval
Address
Church of St Mary, Iwerne Stepleton
OS grid reference
ST 862 112
Coordinates
50.90052, -2.19644
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: related consents · flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Church of St Mary is a parish church dating back to the 11th century, with significant alterations in the 19th century. It is constructed of flint and rubble, with squared rubble dressings, and has a roof that is partially tiled and partially stone-slated with stone copings. The church comprises a nave, chancel, a north vestry, and a south porch. The east window is pointed, with two lights and Perpendicular tracery, likely dating to the 15th century. Other windows are mainly from the 19th century. A blocked, original round-headed loop is set high in the north wall. According to Hutchins, there were originally eight similar windows in the nave, which may be concealed beneath the render. Both north and south doorways have 4-centred heads with continuous jambs. A 19th-century open timber porch with a stone-slated roof is present.

The original plan of the church is uncertain, and the chancel walls are unusually thick, suggesting they may have once supported a tower. A round-headed recess in the east chancel wall may represent the original sanctuary arch, featuring a single order of plain voussoirs springing from chamfered imposts decorated with a pattern of small rectangles enclosing diagonal crosses and pearls. This decoration is original only on the imposts within the reveals of the archway, with the remainder being 19th-century. The chancel arch appears to be round headed and rendered, likely dating to the 11th century. A 19th-century arch leads from the chancel to the vestry. A 14th-century niche is located in the north respond of the former east archway, featuring a cusped 2-centred head and stop chamfered jambs. A 15th-century piscina has a cinqufoil ogee-headed opening within a square head. Various 19th-century monuments are present, including one to Peter Beckford, the writer on foxhunting, and a 1921 monument to Martha Cameron Lindsay by Francois Sicard, depicting a marble relief with a seated figure. The church holds considerable archaeological interest, and additional early features may be found beneath the render.

Local climate

Church of St Mary receives an average of 810 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 52% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 63% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 25 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 73% of listed buildings. Of these, 10 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
  • Related listed building consents — 1 application
  • 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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  7. Ranston Farmhouse Grade II 1.1 km
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  9. Church of St Mary Grade I 1.2 km
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