Late 1100's

The remains of two late 12thC early English Lancet windows in the Chancel indicate the earliest elements of the church structure. The Purbeck stone Font, now at the rear of the Nave (originally 4 sided but subsequently cut to an octagonal shape), is from the same period. There is no visible, structural, evidence in either the Nave or the Tower to suggest they existed in the late 12thC.

1200-1299

The majority of the North and South walls of the Chancel, were resurfaced in the 14thC. However because they contain the remnants of 12thC Lancet windows it is likely that a large part of them originate from the late 12thC.

1300-1399

The arch between the Nave and the Chancel dates from the 14thC so despite the fact that the existing Nave is later means there must have been an earlier structure.

1400-1499

The present Nave walls date from the 15thC. Also dating from that period is the base of the present Tower (which was rebuilt in 1711). The wagon roof ceiling in the Chancel dates from the 1st half of the 15thC together with 20 elaborate wall-plate bosses carved with grotesque or human heads. The east end of the Chancel was rebuilt in the 15thC probably at the same time as the ceiling installation. Records from 1426 list roof beams and walls repairs costing £8 6s 8d. Recent calculations suggest the 1400's penny is roughly equivalent to £8 today making a cost of around £16,000! In 1462 further, less expensive, repairs were carried out to walls and roof equivalent to £6,000 today!

1500-1599

The Nave wagon ceiling with its 14 corbels and 21 bosses was probably installed around 1550. The carvings, more skillfully executed than the slightly older ones in the Chancel, range from grotesques and angels to busts of medieval gentlemen! The Chancel screen is late 15th/early 16thC with some later restoration. The 16thC saw the construction of the present south Porch and between 1582 and 1597 extensive repairs were carried out to roofs, Nave buttresses, and Chancel interior, at a total cost equivalent to £30,000! Documents mention for the first time 3 bells, however one was sold in 1584!

1600-1699

The beginning of the 17thC saw the fine example of a Jacobean Pulpit installed. Later in 1657 part of the north wall of the Nave was rebuilt.

1700-1799

Between 1700 and 1713 the most significant improvements to the Church since the 14thC were carried out, all due to Thomas Pitt the grandfather of William Pitt. These ranged from rebuilding the Tower and Vestry to installing new pews, the Reredos on the Chancel east wall, and the Queen Anne Royal Coat of Arms as well as providing many other church fitments and furnishings. The Church clock was installed by 1750 and may well have originated from the Tower reconstruction period. Finally the "Singing" Gallery at the Nave west end was installed on or before 1791.

1800-1899

An important addition to the Church in the 19thC was a "barrel" organ, built in 1852, and enlarged and converted into a key instrument in 1876.

1900-present day

In 1904 vaults under the Nave floor were filled in and the floor re-laid and in 1926 the Tower Battlements were repaired and the Chancel ceiling restored. Between 1947 and 1960 the Parish raised £6,600 for Church repairs that included the Tower, Organ, and Porch and the rebuilding of the Nave roof using pre-stressed concrete trusses to replace wooden beams. More recently a peal of 6 bells was installed in 1999 to celebrate the Millennium and in 2002 a new oak staircase was put in place to provide better and safer access to the Gallery and Tower.

Notes

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