Listing Text

WOODLANDS
SU OO NE VERWOOD ROAD (south
side)

6/160 Church of the
Ascension
18.3.55

GV II

Anglican Parish Church. Built 1892 for the Countess of Shaftesbury.
Architect, G F Bodley. Brick walls with stone dressings, tiled roof. Stone
bellcote set longitudinally at junction of nave and chancel. Double nave and
chancel with no structural division, and central arcade, north porch, and
vestry south of chancel. North elevation has, at west end, porch with coped
gable. Pointed arched doorway flanked by stone buttresses. In north wall of
church, 2 square headed 3-light windows with ogee tracery. East wall has
central buttress with gabled top, and two 2-light pointed arched windows with
ogee tracery. On south side, at east end, vestry with flat roof and moulded
parapet. In south wall of church 2 square headed windows as in north wall.
West gable wall has central buttress and two 2-light pointed arched windows
with curvilinear tracery. Foundation stone dated 1891. Internally, walls
plastered. Central arcade of 5 bays - the eastern 1½ bays forming chancel.
Roof with colour decoration, and principals supported on arcade wall. Arcade
with octagonal columns, moulded caps and chamfered arches. Carved oak chancel
screen by Bodley. Carved and painted timber altar and reredos. Mural
paintings in chancel. C12 circular stone font on C20 base, from the former
Church at Knowlton (qv). (R.C.H.M. Monument 2. Dorset Vol II. Newman and
Pevsner "Buildings of England. Dorset").

Listing NGR: SU0507809016