Tag: Dorset

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

Bloxworth Church, also known as Saint Andrews, is a Grade 1 listed building located in the village of Bloxworth in Dorset, England. The church has a long history, with the first mention of Bloxworth Manor being held by Cerne Abbey dating back to the late 10th century. In the 12th century, a small chapel was built on the site, and the only remaining feature from this period is the moulded north porch archway. Over the centuries, the church has undergone multiple modifications, with extensive work carried out in the 14th, 17th and 19th centuries.

One of the most notable additions to the church came in the 14th century with the construction of a tower. According to a popular story, a third bell was removed from the tower and sold to be converted into a brewing copper. This bell was later installed at Bloxworth House, the first house in Dorset to be built mostly from brick. The house achieved fame in the 1960s when it was used as Bathsheba Everdine’s house in the film adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s novel, “Far From the Madding Crowd”.

Other significant features of Bloxworth Church include the font, which dates back to the 13th century and was relocated to the tower during the 19th-century restoration. The nave of the church has a 17th-century barrel ceiling with painted shields and royal emblems added during the 19th-century renovation. Stained glass windows were also installed during this time in memory of the Pickard-Cambridge family. In 1868, The Reverend Octavius Pickard-Cambridge became Rector and oversaw the restoration of the church, including the rebuilding of the chancel as a memorial to his father.

The church also includes a north transept, known as The Savage Pew, which is also barrel-vaulted, with 17th-century painted cartouches of the Savage family arms. Sir George Savage, whose grandfather built Bloxworth House in 1608, attempted to establish a connection with the prominent Savage family of Cheshire through the artwork in this section of the church. However, subsequent research has shown that there was no real connection between the two families.

Other features of the church include a pulpit and lectern, which were commissioned by Reverend Pickard-Cambridge during the 19th-century renovation. The pulpit includes an hourglass, which was traditionally used in churches after the reformation to limit sermons to one hour. Sadly, the original hourglass, which dated back to 1683, was stolen in 2003, making it a rare and valuable antique.

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.

One of the most well-known events held at Bloxworth Church is the annual Dorset Carol Service, which features 19th-century carols and celebrates Christmas with “joy and pious mirth”. The original eight carols from this collection form the nucleus of the Bloxworth collection and have been sung at Bloxworth every Christmas since at least the beginning of the 19th century.

In 2013, the Dorset Historic Churches Trust contributed £6,000 towards essential repairs needed to the church tower and roof, which had a total cost of almost £17,000. Other organisations, including the Erskine Mouton Trust and the Wolfson Foundation, as well as local fundraising efforts, also helped to fund the repairs.

Bloxworth Church has been visited and admired by many over the years, including Sir Frederick Treves, who described it in his book, “Highways and Byways of Dorset”, as a “perfect village church” with a “low, ivy-covered tower of sandstone”. However, in 1951, Nikolaus Pevsner found Bloxworth to be in an “unhappily transitional state”, with many of the traditional red brick thatched cottages in the village derelict or demolished and new, less attractive housing developments built for commuters from nearby Bournemouth.

Despite these changes in and around the village of Bloxworth over the centuries, the church remains a cherished and admired part of the community, with its historic features and annual events attracting visitors from far and wide.

Posted by Chris Belsten on 2023-02-18 12:41:44

Bloxworth Church, also known as Saint Andrews, is a grade 1 listed building located in the village of Bloxworth, Dorset, England. The building was established in the 12th century as a small chapel, with the only remains being the moulded north porch Archway. In the 14th, 17th, and 19th centuries, the building went through several modifications, with major work being carried out in those times. The tower was added in the 14th century.

One of the stories that surrounds the church is that it once had a third bell that was removed and sold, then converted into a brewing copper, and installed at Bloxworth House. The first brick-built house in Dorset, Bloxworth House, achieved fame in the 1960s when it was used as Bathsheba Everdine’s house in the film adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s novel Far From the Madding Crowd.

The font, which dates back to the 13th century, was relocated to the tower during restoration work in the 19th century. The nave has a 17th-century barrel ceiling, while painted shields and royal emblems adorn the base of every rib, added during the 19th-century renovation. The stained glass was also installed during this time in memory of the Pickard-Cambridge family. One of the family’s members, the Reverend Octavius Pickard-Cambridge, became the Rector of the church in 1868, and he undertook major construction work in the church, including rebuilding the chancel as a memorial to his father.

The north transept, The Savage Pew, has c17th-century painted cartouches of the Savage family arms, which were an attempt by Sir George Savage to establish a connection with the prominent Savage family of Cheshire. However, subsequent research showed there was no connection between the two Savages. Sir George Savage’s grandfather built Bloxworth House in 1608.

The Reverend Pickard-Cambridge commissioned the pulpit and the lectern during the 19th-century renovation. The pulpit has an hourglass, which was put into churches after the reformation to limit sermons to one hour. Sadly, the original hourglass dating from 1683 was stolen in 2003, making the surviving hourglass with its original stand 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 c19th restoration was completed in a mix of flint and stone to match the original stonework of the 14 century tower.

Bloxworth is well known for hosting the annual Dorset Carol Service of c19th carols, which celebrates Christmas with the performance of eight original carols inspired by the Frome valley. The carols were published in 1926 by W.A Pickard-Cambridge, and most of those original eight carols have been sung at Bloxworth during Christmas since the beginning of the c19th.

Treves, in his famous book, ‘Highways and Byways of Dorset,’ finds Bloxworth to be a charming village with a perfect village church. Pevsner, 50 years later, finds Bloxworth to be in an unhappily transitional state, with many of the red brick thatched cottages derelict or have already been demolished, and the new housing s and w of the church are unpleasingly showy abodes of Bournemouth commuters.

In 2013, with necessary repairs costing almost £17,000, the 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, and local fundraising efforts to ensure that much of the 700-year-old tower and roof was repaired.

Posted by Chris Belsten on 2023-02-18 12:41:57