All Saints' Church is a private church, formerly belonging to the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

, in

Mapperton Mapperton is a hamlet and civil parish in Dorset, England, south-east of Beaminster. Dorset County Council estimated that the population of the parish was 60 in 2013. Parish The parish of Mapperton is comparatively small at . The population h ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The church is believed to have 12th century origins, with later additions and rebuilds. It became part of the estate of Mapperton House in 1977 and is a Grade I listed building.

History

All Saints is believed to have 12th century origins, with parts of the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...

dating to this period. An early reference to the church, dated 1291, describes it as a chapel to

Netherbury Netherbury is a village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset. It lies within the Dorset Council administrative area, by the small River Brit, south of Beaminster and north of Bridport. The A3066 road connecting those towns lies 0. ...

. The west tower dates to the 15th century, with repair and alteration work carried out around 1770, which included adding pinnacles and a parapet. Richard Brodrepp had the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

rebuilt in 1704. The church was restored in 1846 and a south porch was added at the same time. The south

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquiall ...

was added in 1908. The parish of Mapperton was merged with

Melplash Melplash is a village in western Dorset, England. It is situated on the A3066 road north of Bridport and south of Beaminster. The construction of Christ Church between 1845 and 1846 was funded by James Bandinel (who was at one time secretary ...

in 1971 and this was followed in 1977 with the selling of All Saints as a private chapel to the Mapperton House estate. The church is open to the public during opening hours of the adjacent gardens of Mapperton House. The church is also used for services during the summer season and other events, and can be hired for wedding ceremonies.

Architecture

All Saints is built of rubble and ashlar Ham stone. It is made up of a nave, chancel, south vestry, west tower and south porch. The pinnacles and parapet of the west tower have since been removed and the tower shortened to its bottom stage, allowing it to be incorporated under an extension of the nave's roof. The west end of the roof was then provided with a

bell-cot A bellcote, bell-cote or bell-cot is a small framework and shelter for one or more bells. Bellcotes are most common in church architecture but are also seen on institutions such as schools. The bellcote may be carried on brackets projecting from ...

and single bell. The nave contains three two-light windows each on the north and south sides. Much of the stained glass in the church dates to the 16th and 17th centuries. The two-centred and chamfered chancel arch dates to 1704, and the 13th century reset south doorway contains a panel of the same year, which is inscribed: "Sumptibus Ri. Brodrepp Armig. Anno Dom. 1704". Internal fittings include a font of 12th century date and communion rails of circa 1704. The tower's west window has memorial glass to William Munro Aitchison, dated 1850, and a monument in the chancel to Richard Brodrepp and his children, George and Etheldred, dated 1737. This monument was sculpted by Peter Scheemakers.Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851 by Rupert Gunnis

References

External links

* {{Commons category-inline, All Saints church, Mapperton Churches in Dorset Church of England church buildings in Dorset Grade I listed churches in Dorset