St Saviour's Church, Dottery facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Saviour's Church
St Saviour's Church
Religion
Affiliation	Church of England
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Active
Location
Location	Dottery, Dorset, England
Architecture
Architectural type	Church
Completed	1882

St Saviour's Church is a special church located in Dottery, Dorset, England. It belongs to the Church of England, which is the main Christian church in England. This church was built a long time ago, between 1881 and 1882.

What makes St Saviour's Church unique is that it's made of corrugated iron. These types of churches are sometimes called "Tin tabernacles." It's the only church of its kind in Dorset that is still used regularly for church services today. The church is part of a group of churches called the United Benefice of Askerswell, Loders, Powerstock and Symondsbury.

The Story of St Saviour's Church

Why a New Church Was Needed

St Saviour's was built as a "chapel of ease." This means it was a smaller church built to help people who lived far from their main parish church. The village of Dottery was spread out, and people had to walk one or two miles to get to a church.

The vicar (a type of priest) of Loders, Rev. Dr. Alfred Edersheim, saw this problem. He wanted to make it easier for the people of Dottery to attend church services.

From Cottage to Iron Church

At first, a small cottage was used for church services in Dottery. But soon, too many people wanted to attend, and the cottage became too small. This made Rev. Edersheim decide to raise money for a new church.

The plan was for this new iron church to be a temporary solution. The hope was that later on, a more permanent building could be built in its place.

Building and Opening the Church

The church was built quite quickly, between November 1881 and January 1882. It was officially opened on February 4, 1882. A special ceremony was held, led by the Archdeacon of Dorset, Thomas Sanctuary. Many people came to celebrate the opening.

During the ceremony, the archdeacon gave a sermon and read a prayer. Other church leaders also helped with the service. Even though the church was built without any debt, people still gave donations. These donations helped to buy new things for the church, like a bell and a harmonium (a musical instrument similar to a small organ).

Adding More to the Church

A few years later, in 1886, the church was made bigger. A new section called a chancel and a vestry were added to the east side of the building. The chancel is the area around the altar, and the vestry is a room where clergy prepare for services.

Local landowners and people living in the area helped pay for this work. A man named Mr. W. Brown from Uploders designed and carried out the building work. The church also received some special gifts. Mr. Wm. Osmond gave a beautiful reredos for the chancel. A reredos is a decorated screen or wall covering behind the altar. Rev. J. H. Maclean gave a carved oak prayer desk and an altar frontal (a decorative cloth for the front of the altar).

Another special service was held on November 4, 1886, to celebrate the completion of these additions and the church's reopening.