Nominal: 470.8 Hz Weight: 5157 lbs Diameter: 64" Bell 1 of 10
Founded by Mears & Stainbank 1933
Dove Bell ID: 6016 Tower ID: 12382 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Sherborne: Abbey Church of St Mary
Diocese of Salisbury
Major Parish Church, 634128
http://www.sherborneabbey.comOverview
Grid reference: ST 637 164
Conventionally laid out in cruciform plan with a central tower, and side chapels, it has raised levels in the chancel giving emphasis to the high altar. At the east end are the Ambulatory and Lady Chapel which also comprise a Regimental Chapel of the Devonshire & Dorset Regiment.
Visiting and facilities
Building is open for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Footprint of Church buildings: 1779 m²
Description of Archaeology and History
The Abbey has been a centre of Christian worship for thirteen centuries: cathedral, monastery and, since 1539, the parish church. Certainly, except for the eastern chapels, the present church is the same size as its Norman predecessor, and many Norman details survive, particularly the great nave and transept crossing arches and piers. The Normans widened the earlier Saxon nave aisles. Archaeological evidence indicates that the Saxon west tower and transepts may have survived until the 14th century, when they were replaced by the Perpendicular church of All Hallows, whose remains survive west of the Abbey. This great rebuilding took over a century to complete. After a great fire in 1437 Abbot Bradford completed the beautiful choir. Abbot Ramsam (1475-1504) rebuilt the nave, remodelled the north transept and built the now destroyed east bay of the Bow chapel at the east end. Little systematic repairs were done to the fabric before 1850. In 1884 R H Carpenter restored the tower, inserting two great brick relieving arches to supplement the earlier oak trusses. Major repairs carried out in 1978-81 cost three quarters of a million pounds, a sum raised by a nationwide appeal and a generous grant from the Department of the Environment. In 1998 a new West Window depicting the incarnation was designed and made by John Hayward and dedicated in the presence of H.M. The Queen. A window commemorating the dedication of the West Window and the arrival of the Benedictine monks in 998 was added in the south aisle at the millennium. In 2004 the entrance in the southwest porch was ramped to improve accessibility for disabled. In 2011 a complete new lighting scheme was installed.
Exterior Description
Conventionally laid out in cruciform plan with a central tower, and side chapels, it has raised levels in the chancel giving emphasis to the high altar. At the east end are the Ambulatory and Lady Chapel which also comprise a Regimental Chapel of the Devonshire & Dorset Regiment.
Building Materials
Ham Hill Stone
15th Century
Ham Hill Stone
Interior
Interior Description
The woodwork of the choir stalls is largely from the great restoration of the 1850s, including a striking set of angels, and depictions of nesting blackbirds on the stall ends. However, the back row includes a set of 15th century misericords set into Victorian frames, and carved elbow-rests. There are three major monuments. In the Wykeham Chapel in the north transept lies the tomb of Sir John Horsey who acquired the Abbey estate at the dissolution; in St Katherine's Chapel is the tomb of Sir John and Joan Leweston; and in the south transept, where a raised floor covers the Digby burial vault, is the monument to the last Earl of Bristol.
In Bishop Roger's Chapel, now the Choir Vestry, is an array of monuments removed from the Chancel in the great 1850s restoration.
At the west end of the nave is a series of brass plates recording the activities of the Dorsetshire Regiment in the late 19th century, and a large bronze plate which is the Dorsetshire Yeomanry memorial of the First World War.
Fixtures and fittings
Clock
18th Century Clock with wrought iron plate and spacer frame located in South Choir Aisle made by WilliamMonk from Berwick St. John in 1739
Historical Notes
1739 - 1739
Period Qualifier: 2
Bells
Nominal: 946 Hz Weight: 1008 lbs Diameter: 36.13" Bell 2 of 10
Founded by G Mears & Co 1858
Dove Bell ID: 38781 Tower ID: 12382 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Nominal: 890 Hz Weight: 1148 lbs Diameter: 38" Bell 3 of 10
Founded by G Mears & Co 1858
Dove Bell ID: 38782 Tower ID: 12382 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Nominal: 787 Hz Weight: 1316 lbs Diameter: 40" Bell 4 of 10
Founded by John Warner & Sons 1903
Dove Bell ID: 38783 Tower ID: 12382 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Nominal: 707.5 Hz Weight: 1372 lbs Diameter: 42" Bell 5 of 10
Founded by Thomas & James Bilbie 1803
Dove Bell ID: 38784 Tower ID: 12382 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Nominal: 629 Hz Weight: 1876 lbs Diameter: 46.75" Bell 6 of 10
Founded by William Bilbie 1787
Dove Bell ID: 38785 Tower ID: 12382 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Nominal: 588.5 Hz Weight: 2492 lbs Diameter: 50.75" Bell 7 of 10
Founded by G Mears & Co 1858
Dove Bell ID: 38786 Tower ID: 12382 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Nominal: 531.8 Hz Weight: 3154 lbs Diameter: 56" Bell 8 of 10
Founded by John Warner & Sons 1903
Dove Bell ID: 38787 Tower ID: 12382 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Nominal: 1807 Hz Weight: 168 lbs Diameter: 19.13" Bell 9 of 10
Founded by Bristol foundry
Dove Bell ID: 38788 Tower ID: 12382 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Nominal: 633.5 Hz Diameter: 33.75" Bell 10 of 10
Founded by Robert II Austen 1653
Dove Bell ID: 38789 Tower ID: 12382 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Churchyard
Grid reference: ST 637 164
Burial and War Grave Information
It is unknown whether the building is consecrated.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has been used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard is used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has war graves.
Churchyard Structures
Gate
1625
Gates and gate piers at North East end. Grade II listed.
Gate
1625
South gate (Cemetery gate). Grade I listed.
Environment
Ancient, Veteran & Notable Trees
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
There are no records of Ancient, Veteran or Notable Trees within the curtilage of this site.
Renewables
| Renewable | Installed |
|---|---|
| Solar PV Panels | No |
| Solar Thermal Panels | No |
| Biomass | No |
| Wind Turbine | No |
| Air Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ground Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ev Charging | No |
Species summary
There are no records of species within the curtilage of this site.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
'Seek advice' Species
More information on species and action to be taken upon discovery.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
Further information
Quinquennial Inspections
Submit a change
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