St Martin's Church, Weymouth facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Martin's Church
Religion
Affiliation	Church of England
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Redundant
Location
Location	Weymouth, Dorset, England
Architecture
Architect(s)	Charles Edwin Ponting
Architectural type	Church
Completed	1908

St Martin's Church is an old Church of England church located in Weymouth, Dorset, England. It was designed by an architect named Charles Edwin Ponting and built between 1907 and 1908. The church stopped being used for services in 1965. Today, the building has been changed into eight apartments, known as St Martin's Court.

The Story of St Martin's Church

St Martin's Church

St Martin's Church was built on Chickerell Road in an area called Rodwell. It was meant to be a smaller church, or "chapel of ease," to help the main church, Holy Trinity. This was because more and more people were moving into the area, especially near Chickerell Road.

Before the church was built, there was a small, temporary meeting room for St Martin's nearby. But it quickly became too small for everyone who wanted to attend. The local vicar, Rev. L. B. Weldon, felt a new, bigger church was needed to welcome everyone, especially those who were not well-off.

In 1905, a meeting was held, and everyone agreed to build a new church. People started raising money right away. They collected donations from the public, received gifts, and got grants, including £100 from a church building association. A piece of land on Chickerell Road was bought for £400.

The church plans were drawn up by Charles Edwin Ponting from Marlborough. The building work was done by Messrs Jesty and Baker from Portland, with Mr. D. Grant making sure everything was built correctly. The first stone of the church was laid by Miss Morrice on October 30, 1907.

Because there wasn't a lot of money, only part of the church was built at first. This included the main hall (nave), the entrance porch, and part of the basement (crypt). The builders had planned to add a special area for the choir (chancel) and side sections later, but this never happened. The part that was built could hold 198 people, but the full plan for St Martin's was meant to hold 523 people.

The church was officially opened and blessed by the Bishop of Salisbury, the Right Rev. John Wordsworth, on October 30, 1908. At that time, it had cost £2,560 to build, and they still needed to raise £300 more.

St Martin's Church closed for regular services in 1949. However, other groups still used the building, like the Weymouth and District Deaf and Dumb Club and a local committee called Toc H Weymouth. Services for the Deaf and Dumb Club continued until 1955. St Martin's reopened as a place of worship in 1961 but closed again for good in 1965.

Later, the church building was changed into homes and became St Martin's Court. In the 1980s, it was first divided into two large homes. Now, it has been split into eight separate apartments. In 2007, permission was given to turn one half of the church into four apartments. In 2008, the other half was also allowed to be changed into three apartments.

How St Martin's Church Was Built

St Martin's Church is made from red bricks from Fordingbridge and decorated with Portland stone. It was built in a style called the Decorated style. The church needed very deep concrete foundations because the ground was sloped and soft. The roof was covered with dark red tiles and had a small tower for a bell. This tower was topped with a metal cross.

Part of the planned basement (crypt) was finished when the church was first built. It was supposed to be a larger room for the community but was used as a changing room for the clergy instead. The church's entrance porch has a big window with three sections above it. The main hall (nave) had windows high up near the roof and an open wooden ceiling.

Inside, the walls, pillars, and arches were also covered with the same Fordingbridge brick. The floors were made of wood over concrete, and the main doors were made of oak wood.

Instead of long wooden benches (pews), the church had chairs for people to sit on. The special seats for the choir came from St George's Church in Bourton. The font, which is a basin used for baptisms, came from St Peter's Church in North Poorton. The pulpit, where the priest gives sermons, was moved from Holy Trinity Church to St Martin's. Many other items from the temporary St Martin's meeting room were also brought to the new church.