Description

POOLE

SZ09SE ST ALDHELM'S ROAD
958-1/6/149 (East side)
14/06/54 Parish Church of St Aldhelm

II*

Church. 1892-94. By Bodley and Garner. Completed 1911 by GG
Hare except for projected SW tower, which remains unexecuted.
Brick core faced with limestone ashlar and plain-tile roofs.
3-aisled church with no structural division between nave and
chancel, vestry to N side of chancel and N porch. Late Gothic,
broadly Decorated style.
Sanctuary projects 1 bay beyond S aisle and has 7-light E
window with Perpendicular principal mullions defining central
3 lights, sub-arches to outer lights, multi-foiled reticulated
tracery and hoodmould; blank lights below transom with sacred
Monogram on shield to central division which has blank cusped
ogee-arched tracery head.
Single-storey 2-bay vestry over boiler room to N side of
chancel has 3-light E window with cusped ogee-arched heads to
lights and straight head, similar window to N side and
double-chamfered N door with hoodmould.
N aisle has 9 bays, of which the westernmost is windowless,
and porch to penultimate western bay. Aisle has single stone
bellcote to outer side of E gable with pinnacle and pair of
stone flues near apex. 2-light windows to N with
cinquefoil-headed lights and spherical cusped triangle to head
and hoodmoulds.
Porch has doorway with many-moulded head dying into
wave-moulded jambs, hoodmould and double wrought-iron gates.
Tall niche above with statue of St Aldhelm. Front is flanked
by gabled buttresses and has stone-coped gable with kneelers.
Porch has 8 arch-braced rafters with king posts. N door has 3
shallow hollow chamfers to head; dying into chamfered jambs
and double-leaf door with ornamented hinges.
S aisle has 10 bays of which the 2 westernmost bays are
windowless. Aisle has 3-light E window with foiled reticulated
tracery with hoodmould, and 3-light window to easternmost bay
of S side with straight head, cinquefoil headed lights and
pair of cusped spherical triangles to head; otherwise 2-light
windows to S with reticulated tracery and hoodmoulds. S door
to penultimate western bay has 3 hollow chamfers to head dying
into chamfered jambs. The projected tower in front,
incorporating a S porch was not executed.
W end has 2-light windows to aisles with cusped Y-tracery,
cinquefoiled heads to lights and hoodmoulds, and a string
course at cill level between buttresses. W door interrupts a
high plinth and has many-moulded and chamfered head dying into
double-chamfered jambs, hoodmould and 2 stone steps leading to
double-leaf door with ornamental hinges. Footscraper niches to
plinth either side with chamfered ogee-arched heads. Principal
W window has 3-lights with cinquefoiled ogee arched heads,
multi-foiled reticulated tracery and hoodmould extended over
niches either side. Niches have ogee-arched heads in
rectangular surrounds with blank tracery to spandrels and
contain statues of Angel of the Annunciation to left and
Virgin Mary to right. W front is flanked by offset gabled
buttresses and has plinth with deep ridged stone coping
interrupted by similar, taller buttresses either side of
central bay with terminate between gables of nave and aisles.
All gables have moulded stone coping, kneelers and small
rectangular ventilation slits.
INTERIOR: body of church has 10-bay arcades with clustered
piers of quatrefoil section, double-moulded capitals and
bases, arches with 2 sunk quadrant mouldings and continuous
hoodmoulds. Waggon roof to nave ceiled to easternmost bay with
lattice of small decorative ribs and bosses, and polychrome
decoration. Aisles have boarded canted waggon roofs.
FITTINGS: rood screen of oak in late medieval style. Font of
limestone, goblet-shaped. Printed and gilded wood font cover
in classical style by Randoll Blacking with openwork obelisk
finial and Tuscan columns supporting canopy. Stained-glass
windows to S aisle and chancel, 1911 by Brulison and Grylls
and to W end 1911 by WE Tower. However according to the Short
Guide all the windows are by CE Kempe and Co.
(Buildings of England: Pevsner N & Newman J: Dorset: London:
1972-: 326; Townsend Rev J C: A Short Guide to St Aldhelm's
Church Branksome: Poole: 1969-).

Listing NGR: SZ0584691800

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Parish Church of St Aldhelm at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q17533684

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

• 
  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
• 
  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Care and Repair
• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)