St Nicholas' is a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

at Moreton, Dorset, England. It is known for its thirteen windows, engraved by the poet and artist Sir Laurence Whistler.

T. E. Lawrence Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British Army officer, archaeologist, diplomat and writer known for his role during the Arab Revolt and Sinai and Palestine campaign against the Ottoman Empire in the First W ...

was buried in the separate churchyard.

History

St Nicholas' Church is a Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. The church's dedication was changed in 1490, to

St Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara (Lycia), Patara in Anatolia (in modern-day Antalya ...

having previously been dedicated to St Magnus Martyr. The church was rebuilt in 1776, reusing medieval foundations and is considered a good example of the early

Gothic revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

. The rebuilding was financed by the Frampton family, who lived in the nearby

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

. The north aisle was added in 1841 and most internal fittings were renewed c1847.

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

("Lawrence of Arabia"), who died in 1935, is buried in the separate churchyard. He was a cousin of the Frampton family and had been a frequent visitor to their home, Okers Wood House. Lawrence's mother arranged with the Framptons to have him buried in their family plot in the separate burial ground of St Nicholas' Church. Mourners included Winston and Clementine Churchill,

E. M. Forster Edward Morgan Forster (1 January 1879 – 7 June 1970) was an English author. He is best known for his novels, particularly '' A Room with a View'' (1908), ''Howards End'' (1910) and '' A Passage to India'' (1924). He also wrote numerous shor ...

, and Lawrence's youngest brother Arnold. In 1940, the church suffered a direct hit from a German bomb, and was largely destroyed. It was rebuilt over the following decade, but the stained glass windows were replaced with plain green glass, which was not liked by the congregation.

Windows

Laurence Whistler Sir Alan Charles Laurence Whistler (21 January 1912 – 19 December 2000) was a British glass engraver and poet. He was both the first President of the British Guild of Glass Engravers and the first recipient of the King's Gold Medal for Poe ...

was commissioned to provide engraved glass replacements, and after making twelve, he offered to make and donate the thirteenth with a design on the theme of Forgiveness featuring

Judas Judas Iscariot (; ; died AD) was, according to Christianity's four canonical gospels, one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. Judas betrayed Jesus to the Sanhedrin in the Garden of Gethsemane, in exchange for thirty pieces of ...

. The offer was declined, but he made the window anyway. After being displayed in a local museum, it was eventually installed - on the outside of the church (as the artist intended) - in 2014. The windows are: # # # # # # # # # # # # #

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Nicholas' Church, Moreton Church of England church buildings in Dorset