Bridport: St Andrew
Overview
Grid reference: SY 471 931
The church is a plain building, erected as a chapel of ease to the parish of Bradpole (in which it formerly stood) in order to serve the eastward expansion of Bridport. The dedication was taken over from that of a mediaeval chapel which stood on the site of the Town Hall (built in 1786) at the focal point of the town.
Visiting and facilities
Building is closed for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
Nave of five bays without aisles or porches; chancel with south vestry-cum-organ-chamber.
Description of Archaeology and History
1860, by Thomas Talbot Bury (1811-1877) at a cost of £1500. His other Dorset churches include Askerswell (added to a Perpendicular tower), Broadoak, Eype and Weymouth St. John.
Exterior Description
The church is a plain building, erected as a chapel of ease to the parish of Bradpole (in which it formerly stood) in order to serve the eastward expansion of Bridport. The dedication was taken over from that of a mediaeval chapel which stood on the site of the Town Hall (built in 1786) at the focal point of the town.
The best aspect of the church is the west facade, facing St. Andrew's Road, and set rather low because of the sloping site. The doorway (of Early English form with a two-centred moulded arch) is set within a thickening of the wall which dies away at the sill of the west window. The window itself is a group of five graded lancets under a moulded hood and higher in the gable is a small quatrefoil in a roundel. The apex of the steeply sloped gable is crowned by a large bell-cote with spaces for three bells, two below and one above. These are all now empty and the sole surviving bell hangs in a steel frame beside the west window. The angles of the wall are marked by buttresses. Of the flanking walls of the nave, each is of five bays, with two light windows provided with simple plate tracery in the form of a roundel, and each bay separated from the next by a buttress. The chancel has similar windows in the side walls, with the exception where the vestry, under a pent roof, adjoins. The sloping ground allows for an additional room beneath the vestry. The east window is later in style than the rest, with threelights and simple Geometrical tracery of four quatrefoils. Again there is a roundel above in the gable.
Building Fabric and Features
Stained Glass
c.1860
East window: Baptism of Christ, Crucifixion, Last Supper.
Stained Glass
c.1860
Chancel south I: St. Peter and St. Andrew
Stained Glass
c.1860
Chancel north I: Two angels with scrolls.
Stained Glass
Chancel north II: four roundels with heads of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and David.
Stained Glass
c.1863
North nave I: Gethsemane.
Stained Glass
North nave II: Christ with the Children.
Stained Glass
North nave III: The Good Samaritan.
Stained Glass
North nove IV: Christ with Martha and Mary: Raising of Lazarus; Martha's face seems modelled as a portrait.
Stained Glass
South nave I: Christ by Galilee.
Stained Glass
1874
South nave II: Christ walking on the water
Stained Glass
South nave III: Christ with St. Mary Magdalene.
Interior
Interior Description
The interior of the church is correspondingly plain, with white plastered walls and open timber roofs. That to the nave has tie beams with arch braces and scissor braces at each bay carried on simple stone corbels painted with instruments of the Passion. The chancel roof has scissor braces with big cusping below. The reveals of all windows are unadorned by mouldings, and the only architectural feature is the chancel arch, of typical West Country pattern with a cluster of three attached shafts against each respond and a moulded arch. The nave is furnished with deal pews and the choirstalls have been cleared from the chancel and brought into the eastern bay of the nave, leaving the chancel itself quite free of furnishing save for communion rails, the altar and a sanctuary chair. This was done in 1970. The organ stands on the south side screening an arch to the vestry and all the chancel windows, together with some in the nave, are filled with stained glass. Although of no special architectural quality, the interior of the church has a pleasant atmosphere and is well kept. The north-east chancel window has a low stone sill which forms a shelf, and the embrasure of the corresponding window on the south side forms a two-fold sedilia.
Fixtures and fittings
Altar
The altar is a plain oak table.
Reredos
c.1900
The reredos is of oak, c.1900, with three round-headed panels.
Pulpit
The pulpit is of stone, three sides of a hexagon, on a peculiar inverted colonotte.
Lectern
Brass eagle.
Font (object)
The font is octagonal, of stone, on a cluster of four colonettes, with symbols in relief alternately within circles and quatrefoils.
Organ (object)
The organ, a small two-manual instrument with eleven speaking stops and tracker action by Martin and Coate of Oxford, was erected in 1882.
Churchyard
Grid reference: SY 471 931
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.
National Heritage record for England designations
There are no records of National Heritage assets within the curtilage of this site.
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 | N/A |
| Solar Thermal Panels | N/A |
| Biomass | N/A |
| Wind Turbine | N/A |
| Air Source Heat Pump | N/A |
| Ground Source Heat Pump | N/A |
| Ev Charging | N/A |
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
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