Church of St. Michael and All Angels, Little Bredy. Grade: II*. NGR: SY 58768 89028. Lead author: PS
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Little Bredy is a small village seven miles west of Dorchester in the eastern part of the Bride Valley. The church stands in the grounds of the Bridehead Estate. Bridehead House was built in 1623 and named after the river Bride that rises in the lake on the estate and flows the length of the Bride Valley to reach the sea at Burton Bradstock (1). Of incidental interest is a prominent cliff on the south side of the lake, visible but somewhat overgrown, of Cretaceous Upper Greensand, Eggardon Grit Member (Geology of the Country around Bridport and Yeovil Memoir (1958), Geological Survey of Great Britain, p 163).
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1. The lake at Bridehead
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2. View of the church from the south
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A church has stood on the site since the 13th century. Only the 13th century chancel and the 14th century south tower and porch are original to the church. The church was heavily remodelled in the 1850 when a spire was added to the top of the tower. At the same time, the nave was extended westwards, the north aisle added, and the south aisle rebuilt (architect Benjamin Ferrey).
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The exterior (2)
The roof is covered with graduated Purbeck limestone stone slabs (3a). The exterior walls are mainly coursed rubble stone made up of Lower Cretaceous, Purbeck Cypris Freestone, with Portland limestone used for the quoins and buttresses. There are also some lines of knapped flint in the walls. The remaining 13th century windows are Portland limestone from the Isle of Purbeck (3b). The 19th century windows are Normandy Caen stone.
The roof is covered with graduated Purbeck limestone stone slabs (3a). The exterior walls are mainly coursed rubble stone made up of Lower Cretaceous, Purbeck Cypris Freestone, with Portland limestone used for the quoins and buttresses. There are also some lines of knapped flint in the walls. The remaining 13th century windows are Portland limestone from the Isle of Purbeck (3b). The 19th century windows are Normandy Caen stone.
3a.The north wall of the chancel
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3b. 13th century window in the chancel
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Lower Purbeck Cypris Freestone, sometimes called 'Ridgeway Stone', was quarried in an area from Portesham, through Upwey to Coombe valley/Chalbury Camp and Poxwell.
Caen stone is a mid-Jurassic, Bathonian limestone from Normandy in France. The Estate bailiff was sent over to France to purchase the Caen stone for the rebuilding of the church at '14 pence per foot' from quarries in Normandy, in particular stone for the new spire, to be built ‘using the finest stone’.
Caen stone is a mid-Jurassic, Bathonian limestone from Normandy in France. The Estate bailiff was sent over to France to purchase the Caen stone for the rebuilding of the church at '14 pence per foot' from quarries in Normandy, in particular stone for the new spire, to be built ‘using the finest stone’.
4a. South wall of the chancel
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4b. The vestry window
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The chancel
The chancel walls mainly date to the 13th century (3a). The single lancet windows in the north wall are also 13th century and are Portland stone (3b). A vestry was built against the south wall in the 19th century. A 13th century Portland stone window was re-sited in the vestry east face (4a, 4b).
The chancel walls mainly date to the 13th century (3a). The single lancet windows in the north wall are also 13th century and are Portland stone (3b). A vestry was built against the south wall in the 19th century. A 13th century Portland stone window was re-sited in the vestry east face (4a, 4b).
The east wall (5) has rows of knapped flint above and below the 19th century replacement Caen stone window (5).
The nave and aisles (6, 7, 8)
The aisles to not extend to the full length of the extended nave. All the windows date to the 19th century and are Caen stone. The west wall (9) of the extended nave is Cypris Freestone with lines of flint in the higher part of the wall designed to match those of the east wall.
The nave and aisles (6, 7, 8)
The aisles to not extend to the full length of the extended nave. All the windows date to the 19th century and are Caen stone. The west wall (9) of the extended nave is Cypris Freestone with lines of flint in the higher part of the wall designed to match those of the east wall.
5. The chancel east wall
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6. The north aisle wall
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7. The nave north wall
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8. The south aisle
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The tower, spire (2) and stair turret (10)
The walls of the tower are built with blocks of Cypris Freestone. There is also some flint in the south face near the south doorway. The tower is topped by the 19th century spire of Caen stone. When the spire was erected the Caen tile stones were fastened with dowels made of flint, rather than metal. This proved to be a costly mistake as the spire had to be repaired in 1963.
The walls of the tower are built with blocks of Cypris Freestone. There is also some flint in the south face near the south doorway. The tower is topped by the 19th century spire of Caen stone. When the spire was erected the Caen tile stones were fastened with dowels made of flint, rather than metal. This proved to be a costly mistake as the spire had to be repaired in 1963.
9. The upper part of the west wall of the Nave
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10. Stair turret
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There is a 19th century octagonal stair turret (10) built into the corner between the south wall of the nave extension and the tower. The stone used for the quoins and window is Caen but the remainder is Cypris Freestone. The Caen stone used in the exterior is not weathering well (11a, 11b).
11a. Spalling in a Caen quoin stone
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11b. Spalling in a Caen quoin stone
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The Interior (12)
The main entrance is in the tower. The inner doorway is Caen Stone on the outside and Bath Stone within the church. The walls are plastered. The aisles are paved with Purbeck limestone flagstones.
The chancel arch and the north and south arcades are built with Bath Stone (13). The window surrounds are also Bath Stone but the actual window 'frame' is Caen stone as seen on the exterior.
The main entrance is in the tower. The inner doorway is Caen Stone on the outside and Bath Stone within the church. The walls are plastered. The aisles are paved with Purbeck limestone flagstones.
The chancel arch and the north and south arcades are built with Bath Stone (13). The window surrounds are also Bath Stone but the actual window 'frame' is Caen stone as seen on the exterior.
12. View of the interior from the west
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13. Loupe of the Bath Stone in one of the arcade columns
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The 19th century pulpit (14a, 14b) and font (15) are both Caen Stone.
14a. The Pulpit
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14b. Caen used for pulpit and font
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15. The Font
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The east window is embellished with colonettes (16a). The dark stone used as ornamental stone for the colonettes has not been identified (16b). Some accounts say they are Purbeck Marble, but the stone is completely deficient in gastropods which are always highly visible in the stone.
16a. The east window
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16b. Loupe of the dark stone
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There are two monuments of particular interest. A plaque on the north wall of the nave (17a, 17b) is Purbeck Grub. The Portland Freestone war memorial (18) on the north side of the churchyard was erected in about 1920 to commemorate seven residents of Little Bredy who lost their lives in the First World War.
17a. Memorial plaque
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17b. Loupe of the stone
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18. The war memorial
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