St Mary's Church, Bradford Peverell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Mary's Church
Religion
Affiliation	Church of England
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Active
Year consecrated	1850
Location
Location	Bradford Peverell, Dorset, England
Architecture
Architect(s)	Decimus Burton
Architectural type	Church
Architectural style	Early English

St Mary's Church is a Church of England church located in Bradford Peverell, Dorset, England. It was designed by a famous architect named Decimus Burton. The church was built between 1849 and 1850. Today, it is a special building known as a Grade II* listed building, which means it is very important and protected.

In the churchyard, you can find Bradford Peverell's war memorial. This memorial lists the names of people from the area who died in both World War I and World War II. It was finished and put up in January 1921. The memorial is made from strong Dartmoor granite. In 2015, it also became a Grade II listed monument.

History of St Mary's Church

St Mary's Church was built to replace a much older church. The old church was very small and had become quite run-down. It had a main hall (called a nave), a special area for the altar (called a chancel), a side aisle, and a porch. It also had a wooden tower with three bells.

Why a New Church Was Needed

By 1847, people decided that a new church was necessary. Decimus Burton started drawing plans for the new building. A local builder from Dorchester, John Wellspring, estimated how much it would cost to build.

Building the New Church

Decimus Burton finished his plans in 1848. In 1849, permission was given to knock down the old church. The new church would be built in the exact same spot. Most of the money for the new church came from Hastings Nathaniel Middleton. He was the Lord of the Manor, meaning he owned a lot of land in the area. John Wellspring's team built the church. St Mary's was officially opened and blessed by the Bishop of Salisbury, Edward Denison, on October 28, 1850.

Later Additions to the Church

The church's organ was put in place in 1888. It was built by a company called Bishop and Son from London. The churchyard, which is the area around the church, was made bigger twice. This happened around 1888 and again around 1955.

Architecture and Design

St Mary's Church is built from rough stone blocks called ashlar. It has smooth ashlar details and roofs made of clay tiles. The church has a main hall (nave) with five sections. It also has a chancel with two sections.

The West Tower and Bells

The church has a tall, three-part tower at its western end. This tower has an eight-sided spire made of Portland stone. There is also a small room (a vestry) on the north side and a porch on the south side. The church's pulpit and the font (a basin for baptisms) are from the 1800s. The tower holds five bells. One of these bells was made way back in 1674. Two more bells were added in 1897.

Old Features in the New Church

Some items and memorials from the old church were moved into the new St Mary's. In the west tower, there is a marble plaque. It remembers the rector (church leader) Rev. Middleton Onslow, who died in 1837. On the floor in the nave, there are old stone slabs. These slabs mark the graves of people like John Jobbins (1696) and members of the Meggs family.

Above the arch leading into the tower, you can see the Royal coat of arms of Queen Victoria. Inside the tower, there are also two stools and a table. These pieces of furniture are very old, dating back to the 1600s.

Special Windows

The east window in the chancel is very special. It was made using pieces of glass from the 1200s and 1300s. These pieces came from a chapel at New College, Oxford. When the glass was taken out of the Oxford chapel, it was kept in a box. In 1850, Hastings Nathaniel Middleton visited Oxford. He looked at the glass, which had been offered to him for the new church.

The north window also uses old glass. These pieces came from the original church. They show the coat of arms and motto of William of Wykeham, a famous bishop.

Memorials and Tombs

Inside the chancel, there is a marble plaque for the rector Rev. H. Blackstone Williams (1879). In the nave, there are brass plaques. These remember members of the Middleton family who served in wars. They include Frank Middleton (1915), Ernest Middleton (1917), Captain Thomas Winwood (1919), and Walter Middleton (1931). There are also special windows that remember other members of the Middleton family. One window remembers Lieutenant Edward Williams, who died in the Sudan campaign. Another remembers Vice-Admiral Sir Robert O'Brien FitzRoy.

In the churchyard, there are four old stone tombs shaped like tables. These became Grade II listed in 1985. Three of them belong to the Dearing family and are from the late 1600s. One is for Luke Dearing the Elder, dated 1666. The fourth tomb belongs to Hastings Nathaniel Middleton, who died in 1821.