The Building and its History

"The most notable 13th century building (in central Dorset) is the Chancel of Buckland Newton, which although restored is sophisticated work for a village church." (Royal Commission on Historical Monuments). The north wall and its windows (not the glass) are original, but it is possible that the south wall may have been rebuilt as it is seven inches thinner. The door is certainly later, and the walls were probably heightened when the nave was built. In the 19th century the east window was replaced twice, in 1841 and 1869, and the Chancel re-roofed using the carved corbels which speculators have confidently identified as Henry III, his Queen, the Bishop the Lord And Lady of the Manor and the mason! 

On the north wall of the Sanctuary is a baptismal robe of about 1650.

The altar and reredos were designed by a Mr Tolhurst of Mowbrays and dedicated in 1927.

The Church is dedicated to the Holy Rood, or Cross, but the Rood Screen which once divided the Chancel and Nave has now gone - possibly at the time of the Commonwealth when James Sparing, Thomas Hall, and John Weeks were in turn appointed to the parish by Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector. The stone stair which led to the Rood loft can be seen on the north side of the arch and it is suggested the priest used to climb up there to sing the Gospel, or maybe to preach, before the days of pulpits.

Nave

This is late 15th century. Note the way in which the arch of the north door (the 'Plush' door) which the people from Plush used to use before they had a Chapel of their own) has been 'tailored' into the base of the window above. There used to be a window over the Chancel arch, but the old roof was higher, and badly designed. There were no tie bars, and it pushed the walls apart. The south arcade still has a visible lean. The 19th century roof is lower, and did away with the window.In the 1878 restoration they renewed the floor, built a boiler house, and repositioned the font and the entrance door to the room over the porch. They made new pews incorporating the 15th century oak bench ends, belonging to seats of "most uncomfortable construction", and they removed all traces of "a hideous gallery extending the whole width of the Nave and Aisles at the west and of the Church, and said to contain 120 sittings". 

The stonework and plaster were renovated, the lime wash removed, and the walls distempered.The pulpit panelling is 18th century, as is the old oak chest. 

A brass plate on the west wall commemorates a 17th century ancestor of the Dorset poet William Barnes (who attended the reopening in 1878). The curious Poor Box is 16th century and the Font is a Century older still, the same age as the Nave itself.  When restoring the Nave a century ago, traces were found in the northwest corner of an earlier Nave, and it has been suggested that the arch leading into the Tower, off-centre and Decorated rather than Perpendicular in style, may have been part of it too.  

Over the door is set what is perhaps the oldest piece of stone carving in these parts - 7th or 8th century. It was found in the Vicarage garden in 1926, and is secular rather than religious.

Porch

This is also 15th century, with a chamber above said to have been use by visiting clergy when the parish was served from Glastonbury. Over the door into the Church is a 12th century representation of Christ in Majesty previously set in a niche high on the tower.

Tower

There are six bells in the Tower, two of them from the time when John Phillips was Vicar. They are dated 1581 and 1609 and replaced an earlier peal of five. The sixth bell was added when all were re-hung in 1913. All the bells and mechanisms were overhauled in 2012. 

 The clock is a Jubilee Clock bought for the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. It cost £120. Further information can be found here about the Clock and Bells.

Other Features

The window glass is all modern, but in the Nave good quality quarry glass set in lead was put in a century ago to replace the cheap domestic panes that were then there.  

The East Window depicting the Epiphany Resurrection and Ascension of our Lord, is in memory of James Venables (Vicar 1805-1850) (he must have put in the 'hideous gallery' in 1821; NB not the present organ loft). 

The north Chancel windows which show raisings of the dead in Old and New Testaments are in memory of Arthur Elton, curate, who died of a fever after losing his way one November evening in 1863 when walking back over the hill from Plush Chapel. 

The windows on the south side of the Chancel show St. Andrew, patron saint of Wells Cathedral and St. Peter and St. Paul patron saints of Bath Abbey, and are in memory of Archdeacon Gunning (Vicar 1850-1860). 

 The west window (by Kempe) under the tower completes the century of clergy glass, showing St. Gabriel, St. Michael & St.Raphael in memory of Canon Ravenhill (Vicar 1860-1907) who directed the last restoration and was Rural Dean for twenty-five years as the brass lectern shows.

Outside, notice the sundial set askew over the Porch and in the Churchyard several table tombs with inscriptions barely legible some from the 17th century

Restoration

"The outside of the Church is covered with Roman cement which gives a very unsatisfactory and unchurchlike tone of colour to the exterior but judging from the materials with which the interior of the Tower walls are built I cannot doubt that this was found a necessary precaution against the driving weather to which this Church is exposed and I should be afraid to advise its removal." So wrote the Diocesan Architect to Canon Ravenhill in 1864. The removal of rendering from the outside helped to dry out the walls where moisture had been trapped behind faulty rendering.

The Diocesan Advisory Committee for the Care of Churches in January 1977 strongly advised replacement of the rendering. In their view the soft rubble with which the walls were built has always had, and will need to have, a good protective finish. The process of hacking off and replacing all the defective rendering left an even, slightly warm tone which has now weathered attractively. The interior was also replastered and the distemper replaced with a limewash which is the ancient finish greatly to be preferred on all counts.The village of some two hundred dwellings would find it difficult to meet the cost of all this without outside help however economically the work is done. This is a problem in common with most village churches in the County. Fortunately, through a most generous bequest by Tom Dibben, all of this work is now complete. The people of the village continue do their best in a variety of ways and many social and fund raising events are held to support the church.

Building Work 2018

Work is now in progress to do some repairs and reordering.