| Summary : Knowlton Church consists of the ruins of a Norman church standing within a Neolithic henge, symbolising the transition from pagan to Christian worship. The dedication of the church is unknown. The earliest parts of the building are the 12th century chancel and nave and there are 15th and 18th century additions and alterations. The church has walls mainly of flint with ashlar dressings of Greensand and Heathstone. The church was in use in 1550 however lack of use led to calls to demolish it in 1659. It did, however see a revival after this time in 1730 when the north aisle was built. Nevertheless, later in the 18th century the roof fell in and the church was abandoned. The church forms part of a set of monuments commonly referred to as the 'Knowlton Circles', which also includes a group of henge monuments, an associated group of round barrows, and a Saxon cemetery. The location of the church at some distance from the settlement which it served but in close association with the group of prehistoric earthworks is of considerable significance. The nearby, Victorian built, Church of the Ascension at Woodlands has a 12th century circular stone font, originally from Knowlton Church. The site is in the care of English Heritage. |
More information : (SU 02381028) Knowlton Church (NR) (remains of) (NAT) (1)
(1) KNOWLTON CHURCH (02381028): A ruined building of unknown dedication standing near the centre of a Neolithic henge, has walls mainly of flint with ashlar dressings of Greensand and Heathstone; it has no roof. The chancel and nave are of the 12th century; the north chapel, west tower and probably the south porch are of the 15th century; the north aisle appears to have been added in the 18th century. The church was in use in 1550 (Hutchins III, 150), but it had become unfrequented by the middle of the 17th century and in 1659 an attempt was made to demolish it; the churchwardens were, however, prevented from doing this (Dorset Procs., XXXVI (1915), 95). Hutchins (1st ed., II, 61) records a revival of use 'about 40 years since', ie circa1730, to which period the N aisle may be assigned. Later in the 18th century the roof fell in and the church was abandoned. The ruin, together with the surrounding henge, is now [at the time of writing] in the guardianship of the Department of the Environment. The siting of the church at some distance from the settlement which it served (16) and in close association with a prominent group of prehistoric earthworks (19-22) raises interesting questions of continuity.
Architectural Description - An irregular opening in the E wall of the chancel presumably represents a former E window. The SE corner has plain quoin stones and no buttress; the NE corner was rebuilt when the N chapel was added. The N wall retains the E jamb of the ashlar splay of a former window and the lower voussoirs of its round head. The S wall has a rough aperture for a former window, now gone. The round-headed chancel arch, of one plain order, springs from chamfered Heathstone abaci above plain ashlar responds with chamfered plinths. In the North chapel, the NE corner has a 15th-century two-stage buttress with a hollow-chamfered plinth and a weathered offset. The single-light E window has an ashlar sill and hollow-chamfered jambs; the head has gone. Much of the N wall has perished but the chamfered base of a square-set buttress remains at the W end. The W wall has gone. The eastern part of the N side of the nave has gone; in the western part, mainly of 12th-century flintwork, an inserted archway has an ashlar W respond with part of a chamfered plinth, possibly of the 12th century but reset, and an elliptical brick arch mostly concealed by cement rendering; the facing of the E side respond has gone. On the S side of the nave are the remains of a 12th-century window of one light with a chamfered ashlar sill and jambs, and wide splayed reveals; the head has gone and the window embrasure has been blocked internally. The S doorway has a plain round head and plain jambs with chamfered abaci; internally the opening was originally rebated for a door, but chamfered stonework repairing the E jamb fills part of the rebate. Of the walls of the north aisle only flint footings remain. The west tower has walls of Greensand and Heathstone ashlar banded with knapped flint; at the base is a chamfered plinth and the two stages are defined by weathered and hollow-chamfered string-courses. Most of the parapet has gone. The tower arch is two-centred and of two chamfered orders with continuous responds; on the E the responds have large broach base-stops; on the W the outer order dies into the walls. The W wall of the lower stage has a window of two trefoil-headed lights with sunk spandrels. High in the S wall of the lower stage is a small square-headed window with a chamfered surround. The upper stage has E, S and W belfry windows, each of one trefoil-headed light with sunk spandrels. The E wall retains the creasing course of the former nave roof. The south porch, with flint walls, has gone except for the lower courses; the SW corner retains the ashlar base of a diagonal buttress.
Fittings - Altar (?): Lying between N aisle and N chapel, rectangular Heathstone block, 4' 8" by 2' 6" by 11", no consecration crosses, perhaps 12th century. Brackets: two, in N chapel flanking E window, that on N moulded, the other almost obliterated, 15th century. Font: see Monument (2) [i.e. Church of the Ascension, Woodlands, q.v.]. Scratching: on W respond of archway to N aisle, CWM 1570. (2)
The ruins of Knowlton Old Church. Grade 1. (3)
An isolated church may not necessarily indicate desertion or movement. At Knowlton, for instance, the earthwork remains of the village (SU 01 SW 53) are some distance away from the church, on the edge of the River Allen. (4)
Ruins of Knowlton Church, Grade II*. Description based on RCHM, source (2) above. (5-6)
(The 12th century font is in the Church of the Ascension, Woodlands, SU 00 NE 63) (7)
Norman church. Abandoned in the mid 17th century, when the roof collapsed. Scheduling amended. The church forms part of a set of monuments commonly referred to as the 'Knowlton Circles', which also includes a group of henge monuments, an associated group of round barrows, and a Saxon cemetery. (8)
The church falls within the area mapped from aerial photographs by EH's Knowlton Circles Project. No additional information about the building was recorded during that survey, but a possible churchyard enclosure was visible as an earthwork, and has been recorded separately (SU 01 SW 177). (9-10)
Published report of the Knowlton Circles aerial photographic analysis project noted above. (11)
Additional source containing a brief accessible overview of the church and the earthworks for visitors. (12) |