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