Description

OKEFORD FITZPAINE BELCHALWELL
ST 70 NE
9/101 CHURCH OF ST ALDHELM,
Belchalwell
4.10.60
GV II*
Church, formerly the parish church of Belchalwell. South door and part of
south nave wall c.l190; nave arcade, south tower, porch, parts of chancel
and north aisle windows C15; south tower window C18; east and west walls
and north aisle wall late Cl9. Squared coursed rubble, ashlar, banded stone
and rubble. Gable eased tiled roofs with stone coping. Plan: nave, chancel,
north aisle, south tower and south porch. C15 and C19 work in the
'perpendicular' style but with a late Norman south door. South tower of
2 stages with diagonal 2 stage buttress; embattled parapet; octagonal
north east vice turret to first stage with stone roof terminating in
gargoyle finial; plinth; string courses. Above buttresses are corner
standards with moulded bases and gargoyles. South tower wall has 2-centred h
window with no tracery and moulded label with carved head stops on first
stage. East tower wall has square 2-light 'perpendicular' tracery window
with stopped label. Second stage has 3 2-light square headed 'perpendicular'
windows with stopped labels. North face has similar single light window.
North aisle and north and south chancel windows of 2-cinqufoiled lights with
'perpendicular' tracery with squared heads under stopped labels. West nave
window; Cl9 of 2-lights under 2-centred head with 'perpendicular' tracery
under returned label. 2 stage weathered buttress. North aisle east window
of 3-lights, 'perpendicular' tracery under segmental head with stopped
label. East chancel window of 3-lights, 'perpendicular' tracery under
2-centred head. North aisle has blocked door and chancel has south door
with pointed segmental head. South porch has diagonal buttress the outer
door being 2-centred with continuously moulded jambs. South doorway has a
2-centred outer arch and segmental pointed tympanum arch. Outer arch has
chevron decoration and a label with dog-tooth and nailheads terminating in
head-stops. Responds have shafts with leaf capitals. Interior: 3 bay
nave arcade with 4-centred moulded arches bearing traces of painting. Piers
with 4 attached shafts separated by hollow chamfer and moulded bases and
capitals. 2-centred tower arch with blind tracery. Squint from south
tower to chancel. Roofs, nave probably Cl9 arch braced collar with tie
beam and cusped vertical struts from tie-beams to principals. Chancel has
pointed, fielded, ribbed roof having single collar with small arch braces.
North aisle has arched braced roof with tie-bean. Door to tower vice of
3-planks with wrought iron strap hinges. C17, fielded pulpit with arabesques.
C20 font. Other fittings mainly C19. "RCHM, Dorset vol. III", pp 202-3,
no 2. Newman,J and Pevsner, N, "The Buildings of England; Dorset",
Penguin, 1972, p 89.

Listing NGR: ST7924709803

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• St Aldhelm's Church, Belchalwell at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q18392707

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

• 
  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Farrow & Ball How to Decorate: Transform your home with paint & paper