St. Bartholomew Corton

The hamlet of Corton is awkward to find at the bottom of a very steep concrete road. The name comes from the Old English 'corf' and 'tun' meaning a farm by a cutting or gap, which is a most appropriate description. This  ancient place is mentioned in the Domesday Book and well worth the effort because not only are there some lovely views, but the little chapel of St. Bartholomew is quite enchanting. 

St. Bartholomew’s Chapel is a Grade2* listed Church of England Chapel. It has early 13th century origins, with later rebuilds and restorations in 1897. The building is of coursed rubble stone with ashlar dressings and a slate roof. The chancel is 13c contain an impressive original stone altar on a Purbeck marble base. There are also two 15th century moulded stone corbels as well and a piscina dating to the 13th century but since restored. The chancel floor has eighteen re-set tiles of medieval origin. The font is an attractive stone bowl on a wooden pedestal. The altar was painted by Henry James Moule in 1886. Over the years, the building suffered considerable neglect and was, at one time, used to house cattle. In 1897 the west end and the roof were rebuilt and the building was re-consecrated by the Church of England in that year as a chapel of ease to the parish church of St. Peter in Portesham. The bell cote on the west gable and stone cross-crosslet on the east gable date from 20th century, as do the three-light windows of the nave’s west and south walls

Services are no longer held there regularly but it is used for special services about five times a year. It now forms part of the circuit known as Chesil churches. .

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