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Fleet Old Church

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Coordinates: 50°37′08″N 2°31′00″W / 50.6190°N 2.5166°W / 50.6190; -2.5166
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Fleet Old Church
Religion
AffiliationChurch of England
Location
LocationFleet, Dorset, England
Geographic coordinates50°37′08″N 2°31′00″W / 50.6190°N 2.5166°W / 50.6190; -2.5166
Architecture
TypeChurch

Fleet Old Church is a Church of England mortuary chapel in Fleet, Dorset, England.[1] It was formerly the village's parish church until its partial destruction in the Great Storm of 1824. The surviving chancel is now a Grade II* listed building.[2]

History

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A church at Fleet is known to have existed as early as 1086 when one was recorded in the Domesday Book, with a monk from Abbotsbury Abbey named Bolla as the village's priest.[3] The church's surviving chancel is believed to date to the 15th century,[2] suggesting it was later rebuilt. The church was dedicated to Holy Trinity and belonged to the Christchurch Priory until the Dissolution of the Monasteries. In a 1552 survey of the "Church Goods of Dorset", Fleet's church was recorded as having a tower with two bells.[4]

The church's nave was significantly damaged in the Great Storm of 1824,[2] which also destroyed a number of the village's houses. Owing to the extent of the church's damage, the Rector of Fleet, Rev. George Gould, decided to have a new church constructed at his expense. Designed by William Strickland and built in 1827–29, the new church of Holy Trinity was sited 540 yards inland from the original church.[5]

With the construction of the new church, the nave of the original was demolished in 1827, but the chancel was retained and repaired for use as a mortuary chapel.[6][2] The church was featured in the 1898 novel Moonfleet by J. Meade Falkner.[7][8]

Architecture

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The surviving chancel is built of local rubble, with freestone dressings and stone slate roofs. It has a window of 17th century origin, with the side walls each containing a blocked window. The interior has an arch-braced collar roof. A number of monuments survive within the building: one to Robert Mohun, dated 1603, one to Maximilian Mohun, dated 1612, and another to Francis Mohun, dated 1711–12. There is also a plaque dedicated to J. Meade Faulkner.[5][2]

References

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  1. ^ "Fleet Old Church". A Church Near You. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e "OLD PARISH CHURCH, Fleet - 1118700". Historic England. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  3. ^ "Open Domesday: Fleet". opendomesday.org. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  4. ^ "Geology of the Fleet Lagoon - Field Guide by Ian West". Southampton.ac.uk. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Fleet | British History Online". British-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  6. ^ "Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society - Google Books". 31 July 2009. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  7. ^ "John Meade Falkner and Moonfleet | Dorset County Museum". Dorsetcountymuseum.wordpress.com. 28 December 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  8. ^ Pridham, Llewellyn (28 July 2011). "The Dorset Coastline, from a Personal and Photographic Point of View - Llewellyn Pridham - Google Books". Retrieved 16 January 2020.
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