Church of St. Andrew, Gussage St. Andrew. Grade: 1 NGR: ST 97607 14256 Lead author: PS
The church of St Andrew is situated part way down a steep hillside behind Chapel Farm in the parish of Sixpenny Handley. It stands on the site of a former nunnery of Shaftesbury Abbey. It is known that a wooden chapel stood on the site which burned down and was replaced by the present building in the 12th century. On the interior walls are late 12th century wall paintings, rediscovered in 1951 when the walls were being prepared for decoration.
1. The Church from the north- east
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2. The bellcote
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The chapel (1) consists of a chancel and nave with a small wooden bellcote with a fish weather vane above at the west end (2). The roof is tiled but there are two rows of stone slates which occur on the north side only. The nave has retained its 12th century walls but they are rendered on the exterior on both north and south sides.
The exterior of the west wall of the nave is formed of knapped flint (3). At the base are rows of narrow stone tiles placed in a Saxon style herringbone pattern (4).
3. The west wall
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4. Tiles in a herringbone pattern at the base of the west wall
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Some of the blocks are flint (5). The herringbone continues part way along the south wall. The window surround is Shaftesbury Sandstone but the mullions have been replaced with stone which is not the same but the window was too high up to examine. The buttresses on the north side and west end of the building are Shaftesbury Sandstone. The north doorway (6) and adjacent window (not shown) are Shaftesbury Sandstone.
5. Flint used in the herringbone pattern
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6. The north doorway
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On the south side of the nave (7) are windows of different ages. These were difficult to examine closely as the ground sloped steeply immediately behind the building. The 13th century double lancet window closest to the west end is Shaftesbury Sandstone (8).
7. The south side of the church
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8. The double lancet window on the south side of the church
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There is some red tile also present adjacent to the window. Further along is a 17th century window also in Shaftesbury Sandstone (9). The buttresses on this side of the building are red brick (10).
9. The 17th century window and a brick buttress
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10. A brick buttress on the south side
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The 13th century chancel walls are knapped flint (11). A 13th century lancet window, restored in 1857 in the north wall of the chancel has one small block which is Shaftesbury Sandstone (12). The remainder appears to have had a protective coating applied but was out of reach for closer examination. A photograph of the interior (seen on line) reveals the interior stonework for the window to be Shaftesbury Sandstone. The windows in the east wall are primarily Shaftesbury Sandstone but there is some replacement stone present (13). The 13th century doorway and window on the south side also appear originally to have been Shaftesbury Sandstone but there is some replacement stone (not identified).
11. The chancel east wall
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12. The lancet window in the north wall of the chancel
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13. The doorway and window in the south wall of the chancel
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The interior was not seen due to Corona virus restrictions
References
Hill M., Newman J., Pevsner N. (2018), The Buildings of England, Dorset, Yale U. Press, p.308
https://www.british-history.ac.uk/rchme/dorset/vol5/pp64-72
https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101153744-church-of-st-andrew-sixpenny-handley
Hill M., Newman J., Pevsner N. (2018), The Buildings of England, Dorset, Yale U. Press, p.308
https://www.british-history.ac.uk/rchme/dorset/vol5/pp64-72
https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101153744-church-of-st-andrew-sixpenny-handley
