Church Of St Mary

ST 81 SE IWERNE STEPLETON

4/159 Church of St Mary 14-7-55 G.V. II*

Parish church, Cll, largely refenestrated and vestry added C19. Roughcast walls, structure appears to be of flint and rubble with squared rubble dressings. Roof is partially tiled and partially stone slated with stone copings. Plan; nave, chancel, north vestry, south porch. East window is pointed, of 2 lights with Perpendicular tracery, probably C15. The other windows are mainly similar but of the C19. The north wall has a blocked original round headed loop set high up. According to Hutchins there were 8 similar windows in the nave and they may be concealed under the render. North and south doorways have chamfered 4-centred heads and continuous jambs. C19 open timber porch with stone-slated roof.

Internal features (RCHM). The original plan of the church is uncertain. The chancel walls are of great thickness and may once have supported a tower. The east chancel wall has a round headed recess which may be the original sanctuary arch. The arch is of a single order of plain voussoirs springing from chamfered imposts enriched with a pattern of small rectangles enclosing diagonal crosses and pearls. This decoration is original only on the imposts in the reveals of the archway and is elsewhere of the C19. Square, undecorated responds. The present chancel archis round headed and rendered but presumably of the Cll. Chancel to vestry arch is C19. C14 niche in north respond of former east archway has cusped 2-centred head and stop chamfered jambs. C15 piscina with cinqufoil ogee-headed opening in square head. Various C19 monuments including one to Peter Beckford the writer on foxhunting. Monument to Martha Cameron Lindsay of 1921 by Francois Sicard (Newman and Pevsner), marble relief with seated figure. The church is of considerable archaeological interest and it is possible that further early features may be found beneath the rendering. (RCHM, Dorset, vol. III, p.131, no. 1. Newman, J and Pevsner, N. The Buildings of England: Dorset, 1972, p.241.)

Listing NGR: ST8628211246