Listed Building record MDO27220 - Parish Church, Whitcombe

Parish Church. C12 nave, with some later refacing and C18 rebuilding of south wall, east of porch. C15 chancel rebuilt, with reset cast window. South porch built. C16, west tower. Squared Portland rubble stone with dressings of Portland ashlar and some Ham Hill stone. Clay tile roofs with stone slates at eaves.

The parish church of Whitcombe has a 12th century nave possibly incorporating some pre-Conquest masonry at the west end. The chancel and south porch are 15th century, and the tower was added or rebuilt in the 16th century. The church retains fragments of two pre-conquest cross shafts with interlace decoration of different types, found in 1912 built into the chancel wall. The church is said to be situated "in the midst of an ancient earthwork" (4). (2-5) The cross fragments stand in front of a built-in doorway in the north wall of the chancel. The "ancient earthwork" appears as a wide ditch running north-south to the south-west of the church, and another ditch running east-west to the north of the church. Both are of doubtful antiquity, but may be related to remains of earlier settlement. (6) Parish church (of unknown dedication) Grade I. (7) The church stands within the centre of the earthworks of the Mediaeval settlement. Now redundant, it continues to hold occassional services,and is not recommended for scheduling. Five ground photos with archive report. (8) A fragment of 10th-11th century cross-shaft is set above the blocked North doorway of the nave, and a second fragment of 10th-11th century cross-socket or shaft is set adjacent to the first fragment. Full description. (9)

Record last edited

Sep 14 2023 1:02PM