Holnest:The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
NGR: ST 65612 09822; Lat: 50.886858; Long: -2.4902438
Lead author: SA
Holnest church is a Grade 1 listed building. (See link for description) Holnest Church was a chapelry of Longburton Church until there were changes in the diocese in the 1920’s. The porch has a date of 1650 and a new sundial commemorates the Great Crested Newt that meant that a field nearby could not be developed for housing. (See photos 1 and 2 ) Inside there is a wooden Jacobean pulpit, and a medieval barrel-vaulted roof. There are Georgian box pews which are rarely preserved. (See photo 3).
1. General view of church.
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2. New(t)! sundial above porch.
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3. Interior with box pews.
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The Drax family built a free standing mausoleum in front of the church in the 1870’s. This Romanesque building dominated the site but was completed demolished in the 1920’s due to its derelict and unsafe state. The only evidence in dry summers is scorch marks in the graveyard indicating the foundations.
Further information available from: British History Website and Friends of Holnest Church
“History written by Luke Mouland
Dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the church at Holnest is situated on low-lying ground between the River Cam and one of its tributaries. A small but attractive building, mainly dating to the 14th and 15th centuries, it is believed to have been built of local stone on the site of a former timber-constructed church. …“The church lay redundant for many years and was narrowly saved from demolition in the 1950s thanks to the efforts of Ivor Bulmer Thomas and his newly-formed charity, the Friends of Friendless Churches, together with a small band of local volunteers.”
Dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the church at Holnest is situated on low-lying ground between the River Cam and one of its tributaries. A small but attractive building, mainly dating to the 14th and 15th centuries, it is believed to have been built of local stone on the site of a former timber-constructed church. …“The church lay redundant for many years and was narrowly saved from demolition in the 1950s thanks to the efforts of Ivor Bulmer Thomas and his newly-formed charity, the Friends of Friendless Churches, together with a small band of local volunteers.”
The church is built mainly of the underlying Jurassic stone Forest Marble with evidence of both the shelly limestone and sandstone in the construction. (see photo 4) There are also some blocks showing calcite crystals (photo 5). There would have been numerous quarries in the area utilising the Forest Marble. Some older parts of the roof (photo 6) are tiled by shelly Forest Marble which is evident because of the obvious sharp edges although there do appear to be some Forest Marble sandstone tiles in places.
4. Forest Marble construction.
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5. Calcite crystals.
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6. Roof construction.
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In the doorway of the porch a Jurassic Inferior Oolite has been used in the pillars. This shows medieval graffiti!
(see photos 7 and 8 ) . This is likely to be from one the local quarries in the Sherborne area. There is still an active Forest Marble quarry in nearby Lillington and Inferior Oolite is also still being extracted to the north of Sherborne.
(see photos 7 and 8 ) . This is likely to be from one the local quarries in the Sherborne area. There is still an active Forest Marble quarry in nearby Lillington and Inferior Oolite is also still being extracted to the north of Sherborne.
7. Porch
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8. Graffiti
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The window tracery is of Ham Hill Stone brought from quarries on Ham Hill near Yeovil in Somerset. This was always considered to be a prestigious stone to use due to its appearance and because it is easily carved. (see photo 9). This stone is still being extracted at Ham Hill which is the only source of the stone. The font just inside the entrance is also of Ham Hill Stone and its more rustic appearance probably means it predates the Church. (See photo 10).There are consecration crosses inside and out made of Ham Hill stone (see photo 11)
9. Ham Hill Stone use.
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10. The font of Ham Hill Stone.
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11. Consecration cross of Ham Hill Stone.
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Restoration of the tower seems to be of a blue/grey coloured stone, probably Blue Lias from one of the Somerset quarries. There is also evidence of rendering in places on the tower (photos 12 and 13).
12. The tower.
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13. Restoration work on the tower.
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Text and images by SA, August 2018.
