Historic Churches in Dorset

It is hard to imagine a more beautifully situated church than Milton Abbey. It is set in a bowl of wooded hills, seemingly miles from anywhere. The first church at Milton was founded in 933 by Athelstan, King of Wessex. Athelstan may have been prompted by guilt over the death of his brother Edwin, who was lost at sea.
Milton Abbey School, Milton Abbas, Dorset, England, DT11 0BZ

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Heritage Highlight: Unique hanging tabernacle

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St Andrew's church was built in the 15th century but incorporates parts of an earlier Saxon church. Inside are ornate tombs to the Churchill, Digby, and Napier families of Minterne House, including the monument to General Charles Churchill, brother of the Duke of Marlborough.
A352, Minterne Magna, Dorset, England, DT2 7AT

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Heritage Highlight: Churchill and Napier family memorials

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St Andrew's was built in 1848 by RC Carpenter, a leading exponent of the Ecclesiology style of church architecture, which held that the only suitable style for worship was Decorated Gothic architecture (early 14th century. The interior is a sumptuous example of High Church Victorian Gothic, with richly decorated furnishings and vivid colours.
Elsdon's Lane, Monkton Wyld, Dorset, England, DT6 6DQ

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Heritage Highlight: Beautifully carved pulpit of oak, stone, and marble.

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There was a church at Moreton as early as 1190 when a chapel of ease was built here, with priests coming from Sherborne and Bindon Abbey. The first rector was appointed in 1298. The current building is almost entirely a product of the late 18th century and was designed by James Frampton (d. 1784). Memorials to members of the Frampton family are set upon the wall of the Trinity Chapel.
Moreton, Dorset, England, DT2 8RH

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Heritage Highlight: Amazing etched glass windows

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A rural church just north of Dorchester, All Saints stands beside the late 17th-century manor house on the bank of the River Cerne. The church is built of banded flint and stone and dates primarily to the 13th century. The chancel and pinnacled west tower are 15th-century work, and the tower is ornamented with carved angels.
Nether Cerne, Dorset, England, DT2 7AJ

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The 16th-century chancel is all that remains of Oborne's church. The church was built in 1533, which probably makes it one of the very last churches to be constructed before the Reformation.
St Cuthbert Old Chancel, London Road, Oborne, Dorset, England, DT9 4JY

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A Georgian church standing alone on the height of Portland. The church was built by architect Thomas Gilbert over the years 1754-1766. The church may have been partly modelled after St Paul's Cathedral in London.
Reforne, Wide Street, Portland, Dorset, England, DT5 2JP

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The church of St Mary the Virgin in Puddletown dates to the Norman period, but much of the building we can see today is a result of rebuilding in the 15th century. Of the earlier building the base of the tower, sections of the southwest corner, and possibly the south respond of the chancel arch survive.
The Square, Puddletown, Dorset, England, DT2 8SN

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Heritage Highlight: Martyn tombs and a wonderful Norman font

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St Peter's is the oldest church in Shaftesbury, dating to at least the 14th century, though it probably stands on a much older church built to serve pilgrims visiting Shaftesbury Abbey. Look for 15th and 16th-century stained glass panels and several 18th-century grave slabs.
High Street, Shaftesbury, Dorset, England, SP7 8LY

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Heritage Highlight: 15th-century stained glass

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The former church of Sherborne Abbey is one of the county's finest medieval buildings. The first church here was established in the 8th century as part of a Saxon abbey. Of that Saxon building little remains beyond a doorway.
Sherborne, Dorset, England

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Heritage Highlight: Superb 15th century chancel vaulting

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