St Catherine-by-the-Sea is a
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 Britai ...
church in
Holworth
Owermoigne ( ) is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England, situated south-east of Dorchester. In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 467. The parish is within an electoral ward with the same name, whi ...
,
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. Covering an area of , ...
,
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 small wooden church, which forms part of the Watercombe Benefice, holds a service on the fourth Sunday of the month.
History
The church of St Catherine-by-the-Sea was built to serve the scattered population in and around Holworth, all of whom were at least two miles from a church. In circa 1887, the
Bishop of Salisbury
The Bishop of Salisbury is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset. The see is in the City of Salisbury where the bishop's seat ...
, the Right Rev.
John Wordsworth
John Wordsworth (1843–1911) was an English Anglican bishop and classical scholar. He was Oriel Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture at the University of Oxford from 1883 to 1885, and Bishop of Salisbury from 1885 to 1911.
Life
H ...
, gave permission to Rev. Robert Linklater of Holworth House for Holy Communion to be celebrated in the house's private chapel. The congregation quickly became too large and services were subsequently held in the house's entrance hall. In circa 1904, a large kitchen in a nearby cottage owned by Mr. and Mrs. Edward Duke of
Dorchester was also made available to local inhabitants for Divine service.
A small wooden church, dedicated to St Catherine-by-the-Sea, opened for Divine service on 15 July 1906. The woodwork of the church was done by Mr. Moore of
Owermoigne
Owermoigne ( ) is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England, situated south-east of Dorchester. In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 467. The parish is within an electoral ward with the same name, whic ...
and all masonry work by Mr. Walter Toms of
Winfrith Newburgh
Winfrith Newburgh (), commonly called just Winfrith, is a village and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is about west of Wareham and east of the county town Dorchester. It was historically part of the Winfrith hundred. In the 2011 Census t ...
.
In August 1906, the chapel was presented with a bible gifted by Mr. and Mrs. E. Barnaby-Duke. It was dedicated on 12 August and first used during that day's evening service by Rev. Pickard-Cambridge, the rector of
Warmwell
Warmwell is a small village and civil parish in south west Dorset, England, situated on the B3390 road about southeast of Dorchester. In 2013 the estimated population of the parish was 80.
Warmwell contains several historic buildings, includin ...
.
On the death of Mrs. Mary Catherine Linklater, Rev. Linklater's wife, in 1942, she bequeathed £200 towards the church and also part of her property at Holworth for its future upkeep.
2010 refurbishment and extension
In 2002, it was discovered that the Linklater Trust, which had been left by Rev. Linklater on his death in 1915, had approximately £200,000 to spend on the church. Proposals were made to demolish the existing building and build a replacement, which was met with opposition from members of the congregation. A petition was launched to retain the existing church. In 2003, after facing pressure from local opposition and from
Save Britain's Heritage
Save Britain's Heritage (styled as ''SAVE Britain's Heritage'') is a British charity, created in 1975 by a group of journalists, historians, architects, and planners to campaign publicly for endangered historic buildings. It is also active on the ...
, the trustees dropped their redevelopment plans.
In 2010, planning permission was granted to carry out alterations to the church, which included adding a single-storey extension on the north and east sides. In addition to the extensions, the church was extensively refurbished. A new east window, designed by Simon Whistler, was installed as part of the project, as was a new electric organ.
Fittings
The church's bell was gifted by Lieutenant Commander Michael Forder of the Royal Navy. It originally belonged to the S-class submarine
HMS ''Sleuth'' and was given to Forder by the Admiralty. It hung outside his house for a number of years before he gifted it to the church.
[Information on the 'Sleuth' Bell on noticeboard inside the church of St Catherine-by-the-Sea at Holworth]
References
External links
Watercombe Benefice website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Catherine-by-the-Sea, Holworth
Churches in Dorset
Church of England church buildings in Dorset
Wooden churches in England