Listed Building: CHURCH OF ST AUGUSTINE (467460)

WEYMOUTH SY6780SE DORCHESTER ROAD 873-1/15/74 (East side) 14/06/74 Church of St Augustine GV II Roman Catholic parish church. c1835, refronted c1900 by Jackson, and new sanctuary area built, extensive refurbishment 1970. Portland stone ashlar front on a brick backing, rendered sides, brick sanctuary and apse, slate roof. PLAN: plain 3-bay nave with small W gallery, intermediate pre-sanctuary space, and sanctuary with flat apsidal apse; on the N side are secondary rooms with lower roof level. EXTERIOR: the front to Dorchester Road is in Roman Renaissance style, in 2 storeys, the centre section brought forward, with dentilled pediment, above a full entablature on Corinthian corner pilasters, paired to the centre unit. A niche contains a carved stone figure of St Augustine. The lower level has plain wings and a rusticated centre section with an arched doorway containing a pair of panelled doors under a fanlight, on 2 steps. The plinth is moulded to the centre section, and there is a plain mid band. The sides are rendered and scribed, with plain eaves and plastic rain-water goods. The left flank has three 30-pane lights, plus a 16-pane to gallery level, above a blind light and a small 4-pane; the lean-to extension has a panelled door under 4-pane transom light. The right flank is similar, with 2 arched 12-pane lights in plain reveals to the centre section, which is slightly set back and with lower eaves; beyond is the brick-built C20 sanctuary, with a lead-covered apse, and 2 arched lights. Approx 10m from the front is a plank door in broad pilasters, with a flat coping, crossing the side access. INTERIOR: lobby has a blank arch to left, and to right a dogleg stick stair with newel, the upper flight enclosed by match-boarding. Nave has flat ceiling, plain plastered walls with splayed window reveals and deep splayed sills, and plastic flooring. W gallery, with panelled front, is carried on 2 slender cast-iron columns. The 2-bay pre-sanctuary space is framed in square Corinthian pilasters to a proscenium, with central and quarter corner pilasters. The ceiling in 6 compartments has a moulded cornice, with dentils and modillions. To the right are the 2 arched lights in moulded architraves with keystone, ears, and flared feet, on a moulded sill band. On the left is a door in architrave. A second proscenium arch gives to the sanctuary with a shallow altar recess to segmental head, flanked by flat recessed arches, and with a sill band as in the centre section. To the right are 2 arched lights with iron armature. A simple moulded cornice. FITTINGS: the altar is a plain stone slab on 4 stubby 'Doric' legs, on 1+2 steps in polished marble. There is coloured glass of 1970 in one window of the mid-section. (Ricketts E: The Buildings of Old Weymouth: Melcombe Regis and Westham: Weymouth: 1976-: 163). Listing NGR: SY6793080488

Record last edited

Oct 14 2009 12:20PM