St Mary's Church, Dorchester

St Mary's Church, also known as St Mary the Virgin, is an active Church of England church in Fordington, Dorchester, Dorset, England.[1] It was built in 1910–12 for a cost of £11,500. The church became Grade II* listed in 1975, while its gate piers have also been Grade II listed from that time.[2][3] Historic England describe St Mary's as "large and lavish" with a "high quality finish".[2] Newman and Pevsner described it as architect Charles Ponting's "magnum opus".[4]

St Mary's Church
St Mary's Church
Religion
AffiliationChurch of England
Ecclesiastical or organizational statusActive
Location
LocationDorchester, Dorset, England
Geographic coordinates50.7094°N 2.4440°W / 50.7094; -2.4440
Architecture
Architect(s)Charles Ponting
TypeChurch
Completed1912
Specifications
Capacity750
MaterialsPurbeck Marble

The church is largely built with Purbeck Marble, with some facings and window surrounds in Bath stone.[2] It was designed to accommodate 750 people.[5]

History

St Mary's Church was built in 1910–12 to replace an earlier one of timber and corrugated iron, known as the Tin Tabernacle, which had been erected at the Top O'Town in 1896–97 to serve West Fordington, during a time when the population of Dorchester and its suburbs were significantly increasing.[2][6][7] Fundraising for a permanent church began in 1901 and Charles Ponting drew the plans in 1907.[2]

In 1907, disagreements over the church's location emerged between the parishioners and vicar of West Fordington and the Bishop of Salisbury, John Wordsworth. The intention of building the church on the site of the Tin Tabernacle was opposed by the Bishop, who felt the new church would be better positioned further south. After a rearrangement of parochial boundaries, the bishop and West Fordington came to an agreement in 1909 and a new site was donated by Mr J. Foot in memory of his father. The foundation stone of St Mary's was laid by Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 9th Earl of Shaftesbury on 21 April 1910 and the church was consecrated on 11 July 1912.[7][2] St Mary's succeeded Christ Church as the parish church of West Fordington in 1929.[8]

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References
  1. "Dorchester: St Mary the Virgin". A Church Near You. Retrieved 2019-03-16.
  2. "CHURCH OF ST MARY, Dorchester – 1110596". Historic England. Retrieved 2019-03-16.
  3. "GATE PIERS TO CHURCH OF ST MARY, Dorchester – 1324437". Historic England. 1975-05-08. Retrieved 2019-03-16.
  4. "Dorchester (St. Mary), Dorset". Dorset-churches.org.uk. 2010-08-13. Retrieved 2019-03-16.
  5. "The Builder: An Illustrated Weekly Magazine for the Architect, Engineer ... – Google Books". Books.google.co.uk. 2012-09-19. Retrieved 2019-03-16.
  6. "History of St Mary the Virgin, Dorchester | Dorchester & The Winterbournes Team Ministry". Dorchesteranglican.info. Retrieved 2019-03-16.
  7. "West, Fordington, History, of Christ Church, &, St Mary's". Opcdorset.org. Retrieved 2019-03-16.
  8. http://dcc.dorsetforyou.com/calmview/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=PE-FOR%5BSM%5D/IN/10/1&pos=5
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