Bloxworth Church, also known as St. Andrews, is a Grade 1 listed building located in Bloxworth, Dorset, and has a long and varied history. The first recorded mention of Bloxworth Manor was in the late 10th century when it was held by Cerne Abbey. In the 12th century, a small chapel was built, and the only remaining feature from that period is the moulded north porch Archway. The church has undergone several modifications over the years, with major work being carried out in the 14th, 17th, and 19th centuries.
The tower, an iconic feature of the church, was added in the 14th century. However, according to local legend, there was a third bell that was removed, sold, and later converted into a brewing copper that was installed at Bloxworth House, the first house in Dorset to be mainly built from brick. This house achieved fame in the 1960s when it was used as Bathsheba Everdine’s house in the film of Hardy’s novel Far From the Madding Crowd.
The font, which is now located in the tower, dates back to the 13th century and was moved to its current position during the 19th-century restoration. The nave has a 17th-century barrel ceiling, with painted shields and royal emblems at the base of each rib added during the 19th-century restoration. The stained glass window was also installed during this period in memory of the Pickard-Cambridge family.
In 1868, The Reverend Octavius Pickard-Cambridge became Rector and remodelled the church and rebuilt the chancel as a memorial to his father. Octavius was tutored at home by the Dorset poet William Barnes and was a keen arachnologist who described and named more than 900 species of spider and wrote the book, ‘The Spiders of Dorset’. During the 19th-century renovation, the north transept, known as The Savage Pew, was also barrel vaulted with 17th-century painted cartouches of the Savage family arms in an attempt by Sir George to establish a connection with the prominent Savage family of Cheshire. However, subsequent research showed that there was no connection.
The Savage family were Lords of the Manor until the 17th century. Sir George Savage’s grandfather built Bloxworth House in 1608. The pulpit and lectern were commissioned by the Reverend Pickard-Cambridge during the 19th-century renovation. On the pulpit can be seen the hourglass put into churches after the reformation to limit sermons to one hour. Sadly the original, dating from 1683, was stolen in 2003. An hourglass with its original stand is extremely rare.
On the east external gable of the building are two niches housing the statues of St Peter with a key and St Andrew with his cross. The 19th-century restoration was completed in a mix of flint and stone to match the original stonework of the 14th-century tower. Bloxworth is well-known for hosting the annual Dorset Carol Service of 19th-century carols, which celebrates Christmas with (in the words of one of the carols) ‘Joy and Pious Mirth’ performed with a small orchestra and excellent choir.
In 1951, Pevsner observed that Bloxworth was in an ‘unhappily transitional state. Many of the red brick thatched cottages are derelict or have already been demolished, and the new housing s and w of the church includes some unpleasingly showy abodes of Bournemouth commuters.’ However, in 2013, with necessary repairs costing almost £17,000, Dorset Historic Churches Trust made a contribution of £6,000 to help fund the two-month project. The Trust joined other organisations, including the Erskine Mouton Trust and the Wolfson Foundation, as well as local fundraising efforts, to ensure the work was completed to repair much of the 700-year-old tower and roof.
Posted by Chris Belsten on 2023-02-18 12:41:47