Description

ST 3703
7/101

THORNCOMBE,
FORE STREET (north side),
Parish Church of St Mary

GV II

Church. Built in 1866-7 by James Mountford Allen in perpendicular style. Nave with North and South aisles. South transept; chancel; West Tower; South porch; Vestry at North-East Corner. Rubble masonry with some freestone blocks. Stone dressings for plinths, window surrounds, strings, parapets. Slate roof. Exterior: moulded plinths, strings, labels with some head stops, embattled parapet. Windows of 2-4 lights with panel, tracery over ogee trefoil-cusped main lights. South transept window with Y-tracery; East window with Through King-mullions. Tower of 4 stages with diagonal buttresses and stair-turret in North-East angle. West door. Large perp-style bell-openings. Interior: Nave with 4-bay arcade. Piers: each of 4 equal straight-chamfered responds with sunk quadrants in the diagonals. Plain capitals with moulded abaci and neckings. Chancel arch carried on 2 orders of responds with still-leaf capitals. Strainer-arch set transversely between arcade wall and South trancept South wall. Nave roof of alternate tie-beam and arch-traced collar construction carried on carved stone corbels. Through purlins with ashlaring at wall-plate. Chancel roof of arch-braced construction, ceiled and carried on angel-corbels.
Interior features: Font, re-used stone block of capital shape on a stone base. Bowl possible C12. Brasses: of Sir Thomas Brook (d1419) and his wife Dame Joan Brook (1437) Full-length: Sir Thomas with SS collar. Inscription on rectangular margin intact, recording dates of death. Relaid and restored in 1867. Pulpit oak, 13-sided with linen-fold panels in 2 tiers, early C16, some replaced panels. Communion Table, late C16, walnut with bulbous turned legs supporting Ionic capitals. Reading Desk: C17. Flemish-style, with caryatids and foliage decoration. Stained glass: North aisle window in memory of Rev C A Bragge (d1923) and wife Emily. The church is set well back in the churchyard from Fore Street and forms a group.
Sources R.C.H.M. Dorset I, p. 239(1).

Listing NGR: ST3759903346

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26412346

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Derbyshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)