So far on this one day I have been to two very different churches.  The first, a ruin that stands on grounds that have been used for centuries as a place of worship;  the next, a complete and compact beauty that was saved from the brink of destruction by the words of a poet.

I hope to surprise you once again.

The next presentation is broken up into two parts.  The first will describe the church as she stands in the surrounding countryside along with a description of architectural detail of the interior and the second part covers the interior decoration.

**

Whitcombe Church – The church whose dedication has been lost in time

Part 1

 

 

 

Another comfortable drive from St Andrew’s took me along the A31, A35 and A352 to Whitcombe. I was doing well but did miss the church on my first pass (in my defense it is obscured from view from the road by very large trees). I easily found a safe place to turn around and spotted the brown ‘Historic Church’ sign which also marks the layby used for visitor parking.

 

I tucked the car as far off the road as possible, gathered my cameras and with great caution crossed the road. 

 

 

Access is an easy climb over an outer fence, then through an inner gate which leads down a clear path across a pasture.  

 

I would like to point out that sheep occupy this open ground, including the churchyard so wear boots or shoes you don’t mind getting ‘dirty’.

Once through the church gate I finally got my first real view of the church.  I also got a better look at the ancient tree whose twisted branches are responsible for obscuring the view of the church from road.  Directly beneath it is a grave surrounded by an iron chain and marked with a large cross set into a heavy base.  Looking out from the path, several graves can be seen as well as two table tombs.

 

 

 

The grounds are well kept and do not have the abandoned appearance that some church yards have. I wandered past the entrance  choosing to study the church from the outside first. 

The yard is long and narrow with only a low Victorian rounded brick and stone wall standing between it, and the grazing occupants of the field beyond.

The setting could not be better and is a wonderful example of an English field church. 

Whitcombe Church was built in the 12^th century and appears to have had only a few changes over its long service to the local village.  It was made redundant in 1971 but remains a consecrated sight and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.

 

There are two sets of double windows on the south side, one just before the entrance and the other near the east end. The porch leads to a wooden door that is cut to fit the uneven stone archway of the old masonry. 

 

 

 

 

A large plain three panel 13th century window looks out toward the open fields  and rolling hills to the east. 

 

 

 

 

 

The north wall also has two sets of double windows.  The first within the east end and the other not much farther along the wall.  At one time there was a door on this side which has been walled up. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tower which dominates the west end was added in the 16^th century and has a much larger triple panel window.  The architects built the staircase as an attachment which comes out from the side, presumably to keep the interior more spacious.  Small vent windows are found near the battlement top.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The overall construction is local stone covered in lichen from years of exposure to the elements. The newer sections are well matched to the much older original church.

 

I made my way back to the south side to examine the table tomb closest to the entrance. 

 

The end facing the road has an hour glass with crossbones on each side.  The hour glass symbolizes the passage of time, in specific a lifetime. 

 

 

The opposite end has a skull with a crossed pick and shovel.  Whilst I have become familiar with the appearance of skulls on graves in English churchyards, the pick and shovel were a surprise  – I have no way of knowing their significance in this case, perhaps the occupant was a miner or worked the earth in some way. The skull’s eyes are carved in such a way that they seemed to stare directly at me.  

 

 

A floral motif graces the long side that faces the path – this signifies triumph over death. 

 

 

 

I entered the church and found myself in a long and very narrow space. Natural light flows freely through the windows from all sides, bouncing off white interior walls. 

Looking right at the end facing the field is the chancel.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To the left toward the tower is the pulpit and a very impressive Purbeck marble baptismal font set on a high pedestal, with a carved wooden cover. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wood flooring laid in a herringbone pattern runs from the font to the chancel where the floor is raised a few inches and constructed of local stone and brick. 

A white ceiling above, with plain wood rafters mimic the peaked roof line, from the tower wall to the chancel.  The chancel has a wagon ceiling and like St Andrew’s each beam intersection is covered by individually carved oak boss.   

 

 

 

 

 

The scent of damp fills the air, which is not surprising for the age of the church – only a small window on the north wall remains permanently open to let fresh air in.

There are a great many interesting finds within the walls of this small, yet elegant, church. 

 

Along the north wall where the nave ends and the chancel begins are the remnants of a rood stair. This is an interesting piece of church history.  Medieval churches often had rood screens [rood is an Old English word for Cross or Crucifix] which separated the nave from the chancel.  It had different uses and decoration dependent on the church.  At some time there was a rood screen (or loft) here which would have been accessed by this  staircase.  Rood stairs and lofts were removed at the time of Henry VIII’s dissolution of the Catholic Church in the 16^th century (so if you are ever in a church and wonder about a set of stairs leading nowhere, this is probably the reason).  Rood screens remained, but took on another purpose, which is why many still remain especially in larger churches and cathedrals.  I wanted to take a moment to add this little bit of background because I felt it was important to the story of the church as rood stairs are pretty rare, especially in small parish churches. 

 
Opposite the entrance are the large fragments of two Saxon Crosses with very different relief patterns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once again, many of these were also destroyed during King Henry’s reign which is why only fragments remain of these ancient monuments.

 

 

 

Between the two sets of windows at the chancel end is a chair and plaque dedicating the church’s restoration to Dorset poet William Barnes.  He served as minister here from 1847 to 1850 and is famous for writing his poetry in the local Dorset dialect.  He was also a friend of fellow poet and writer Thomas Hardy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**

Part one ends here my friends as I am not finished with this lovely parish church.  It holds another secret which I wish to share with you that I personally feel deserves special treatment.

 I won’t keep you waiting long…

**