Friends
The Friends of DHCT are our core supporters. They further the aims of the Trust by donating an annual subscription which enables them to attend our various events, including our celebrated Church Crawls in the summer and Lecture Lunches in the winter. Our Friends help us to run our major fund raising event Ride + Stride and, over time, they become more closely involved by volunteering to be Parish Organisers, Deanery Area Representatives and even Trustees. Some very generously remember us by making a bequest in their Will. For a subscription of £20 (or more if you wish) or £30 for a couple, you can become involved in the work of DHCT.
Please take a look at the leaflet here . If you wish to apply for membership and we hope that you will, click to download and complete the Friends' application form here and the Standing Order form here (revised Oct 2025) here
Church Crawls in 2025 - NEWS (updated 18 Aug)
September Crawl Thursday 25th September
Spetisbury, Charlton Marshall, Tarrant Crawford and Almer
We met at St John the Baptist, Spetisbury and enjoyed coffee in The Old Parlour café/bar
Drove to St Mary, Tarrant Crawford This is a church in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust with C14 wall paintings.
Moved on to St Mary, Charlton Marshall where we picniced
And finally we went to St Mary, Almer
Dr Tim Connor guided us round the churches.
Booking and Paying for future Crawls The numbers for all DHCT Church Crawls are limited and places must be booked and paid for (£10 per person) in advance please. Payment should be made online to Dorset Historic Churches Trust, Sort Code 30-92-69, account number 00412179. Book your place by email to [email protected] saying you have paid and are attending.
June Crawl Wednesday 18th June 2015.
Our June Crawl straddled the Dorset-Somerset border in the north of our County
We met at Milborne Port outside the church of St John the Evangelist DT9 5AN and admitted by Di Hooley after hearing a description of the outside of the building by Dr Tim Connor.
We moved on to the Church of St Peter, Purse Caundle DT9 5DY where we will had lunch. After lunch we visited the church as usual and then moved to: St Peter, Stourton Caundle DT11 2QH
We closed the day at St Nicholas, Henstridge BA 8 0QE
Our thanks to Di Hooley, our loyal supporter who actually lives over the march in Somerset for arranging this crawl.
CHURCH CRAWL THURSDAY 15th MAY 2025 Weymouth
This was the last church Crawl to be co-ordinated by Sue -Bruce Payne. Dr Tim Connor introduced us to each church and Brian Woodruffe from Wiltshire HCT, who very generously gave his time once again to share his detailed knowledge of painted and stained glass.
1. We met at Wyke Regis, All Saints. DT4 9ES at 10.30 for an 11.00 start. There was coffee/tea on arrival.
2. Holy Trinity Weymouth DT4 8TJ Dr Tim shared his perplexity at the layout and design of this unusual church, which we did our best to understand. After the talk and a look around, we had the choice of staying on in Weymouth where there are many places to eat- mostly over the bridge, or drive to Upwey, ready for lunch and our third visit:
3. Upwey St Laurence DT3 5QE. Lunch was taken at the Wishing Well or sandwiches in the church where there was tea and coffee and facilities.
4. Bincombe DT3 5PT. The church appears to be in a farm yard.
DHCT Lecture Lunches that have taken place in 2025
Lecture Lunch 1 took place on Thursday 27th February 2025. It was held at The Langton Arms, Tarrant Monkton, Blandford Forum. After gathering for coffee our speaker, Dr Tim Connor, gave an illustrated and very interesting talk on “Churches after a Fire: London, 1666 – 1720”. This really showed the constraints that the churches has that we have not experienced in Dorset. Lunch was served after the talk and the meeting finished about 2pm.
Lecture Lunch 2 took place on Wednesday 19th March 2025 again at the Langton Arms, Tarrant Monkton. After coffee Sue Bruce-Payne spoke about “Music through the Ages”. This again was a very interesting talk and was not only illustrated but we had the sound system working to demonstrate the particular instruments and arrangements she discussed. Following the talk we had lunch and finished in the early afternoon.
Looking ahead to Lecture Lunches for 2026
If you feel you could talk on an appropriate subject next year for about 1 hour please contact the DHCT friends administrator whose details are on the web site. We are planning to have the next two sessions, one in March 2026 and the other in April 2026. If you just wish to attend please note the dates and watch the DHCT website for details nearer the time.
Friends Annual Event Wednesday 9 October - Blandford Forum
The 2024 Annual DHCT Friends’ Event took place on 9 October at Blandford Forum Parish Church. Over the last few years St Peter and St Paul Blandford has undergone a major restoration programme having suffered from the ingress of water through the roof and walls. There is still some way to go but the church is now beginning to demonstrate some of its past glories.
The programme for the Event included, not only Dr Tim Connor’s take on the architecture and its history, but a run through by the refurbishment project manager, Sara Loch, of the restoration project itself. There was an opportunity for a roof top walk and a guided tour of the church. There was, naturally, be a musical interlude and a buffet lunch. The day cost £25 per head and was attended by DHCT Friends, friends of Friends, DHCT Trustees and DARs.
Last Crawl of the year - Wednesday 11 September 2024
With Dr Tim Connor
Our 4 churches were all near the A350. All the churches visited have been given grants fairly recently by DHCT.
1. SHROTON (Iwerne Courtney) DT11 8PU 10.30.
2. IWERNE MINSTER DT11 8LS
3. SUTTON WALDRON DT11 8PB.
4. FONTMELL MAGNA SP7 0NY.
The cost for the day was £10 payable in advance online to Dorset Historic Churches Trust.
Third Crawl of the year - Thursday 11 July
Dr Tim Connor told us about four churches in the Blandford area.
Lower Blandford St Mary DT11 9ND.
Portman Chapel.
Stourpaine
Durweston
Second Crawl of 2024 - Wednesday 5 June
Dr Tim Connor talked to Friends about three churches.
10.30 for 11am Studland St Nicholas BH19 3AT.
Corfe St Edward the Martyr BH20 5EZ.
Wareham St Martins BH20 4HE North Street
Lecture Lunches in 2024
A report of the first of this year's long-standing season of Lecture Lunches is below.
Discovering the Natural World in Stained Glass 13 March by Sue Smith
Over 40 members of the Friends of DHCT welcomed well-known decorative arts lecturer Sue Smith to talk about the presentation of the natural world in stained glass. Using a selection of delightful images to illustrate the possibilities of this medium and this subject, Sue emphasized the remarkable range of imagination, skill and creativity employed by artists and crafts people through the centuries.
From the fourteenth century onward, starting with “silver stain” techniques, representations of the kinds of plants and creatures people saw all around them appeared in stained glass windows. By the seventeenth century, heraldic devices became more often used and enamel painting allowed more naturalistic style of presentation.
Glass makers used birds, animals and plants purely for their beauty but also as the traditional accompaniments to saints and allegorical figures. Commissioners of windows in civic buildings and private homes as well as churches, also used the natural world to create pleasant associations with themselves, such as owls representing wisdom or lions fierceness.
The lecture ranged throughout the British Isles, but also featured some local examples of beautiful work, including in churches at St George’s, Dorchester, Middle Woodford and Alton Pancras. After the lecture, a number of questions were asked, and thanks given by the organiser Tim Smith. The staff of the Langton Arms then served a delicious hot lunch.
Baptisteries and Fonts
First Crawl of 2024 Thursday 9 May
Dr Tim Connor led a us around four churches in the Frome valley. A short report will follow but here is where we went.
Broadmayne at St Martin's church DT2 8EB
Winterborne Came. St Peter (now belongs to Churches Conservation Trust). William Barnes is buried here.
Stinsford. St Michael. Lower Lane DT2 8PT. Burial site of Thomas Hardy and many of his family plus Cecil Day-Lewis.
West Stafford. St Andrew DT2 8AB
DHCT Past Events
DHCT Final Crawl of 2023 13 September
This church crawl was based just over the Dorset border near Yetminster, with 4 churches full of exciting features including - T.S. Eliot's grave, some strange statues, a burial site for 70 victims of the Black Death, a square chest tomb and a window showing local industry including stay-at-home housewives!
1. Brympton d'Evercy, St Andrew BA22 8TD.
2. Stoke Sub Hamdon, St Mary, Church Lane TA14 6UF.
3. East Coker, St Michael. BA22 9JW
4. Sutton Bingham, All Saints BA22 9QP.
40 Friends of Dorset Historic Churches Trust gathered for their annual meeting in the beautiful setting of St Mary's church. St Mary’s is full of interest, especially for its stained glass, which was the subject of an absorbing talk by local resident and researcher Sarah Sexton, who is nearing the completion of a book on the windows at St Mary’s. She revealed a considerable depth of information about the origins and designs of the glass, especially the Harry Clarke window, installed in memory of Roma Spencer Smith. This is nationally admired, and described as “awe-inspiring” and “rare and exceptional”. Members were able to move round the building and get good, close-up views of all the windows discussed.
Contrasting interest was provided by St Mary’s Director of Music, Sir Peter Newson-Smith, who entertained the Friends with an organ recital of works from the seventeenth century to the present time. This was very successful in showing off the capabilities of the instrument, which seems ideally suited to accompanying services in the church.
After an excellent buffet lunch in the church hall catered for by Dorset Delights, Dr Tim Connor, the Trust’s architectural historian, revealed the fruit of his researches at the Dorset History Centre into the life of Sir Owen Morshead, who founded the DHCT in 1960. Sir Owen retired to Sturminster Newton and, as members gathered round his memorial plaque in the church, Dr Connor reviewed his highly decorated military career in the First World War, his work as Librarian at Windsor Castle and his involvement in the growing movement to preserve building of historic importance in the mid twentieth century. As the first Chairman of the Trust, Sir Owen served until 1971, seeing DHCT on its path to becoming the successful conservation charity it is now.
At the end of the day, Hon Sec Jeremy Selfe, deputising for the current chairman, thanked the speakers, the organist, the caterers, Dorset Delights, and especially the organisers Mike Warren and Tim Smith.
The Event concluded the Friends activities for 2023 but a new programme of Lecture Lunches in March and April and Church Crawls later in the year is being planned for 2024. Keep an eye on the website for details as they become available.
Lecture Lunches in 2023
The first Lecture Lunch took place on Wed 15 Feb 2023 at the Langton Arms, Tarrant Monkton, DT11 8RX. Dr Tim Connor, who is the Trust's expert historian and specialist on architecture, chose “The Gothic Revival” as his topic. After the very well-received talk, a delicious and filling lunch was provided by staff of the Langton Arms, with drinks available from the bar.
On Wed 15 Mar, The Reverend Canon Eric Woods DL, formerly the Vicar of Sherborne and DHCT Trustee, talked on “The Reformation of the Landscape”. We met at 10.30 at The Old Milking Parlour at Cavokay House, Marsh Lane, Henstridge, Somerset, BA8 0TQ. After the talk which explained how the lands released from the monasteries were keenly bought up by a rising class of successful merchants and lawyers who then became a new class of Landed Gentry. About 25 Friends sat down to delicious lunch and further discussion about Canon Woods' stimulating and scholarly talk.
Church Crawls in 2023
Our season of conducted visits to churches of interest, known as Crawls, started on Thu 11 May at Compton Valence. The report is below:
Back on the road for the summer 2023 programme of Church Crawls, over 40 Friends met at Compton Valence where, after a welcome from organizer Sue Bruce-Payne, and very welcome refreshments arranged by the local team, Dr Tim Connor spoke warmly about the early 19th century church. He was able to point out much of the architectural detailing – inside and out – incorporated by the designers, who were a group of young high churchmen with the enthusiasm and money to create this rural gem.
Moving on to Chilcombe, the archetypal church in a farmyard, we saw the kind of simple, tiny building that would have been common in the early Middle Ages. Beautiful in its austerity, the site was everything, located next to the small manor house and with fabulous views down the combe.
St Mary Magdalene, Loders, is a most interesting building and teasing out its history continues to provide discussion and debate. It may be there is Saxon work in the north wall, the origins of the 15th century south chapel remain obscure and the sequence of windows in the chancel suggest a history of expansion from a smaller beginning. Dr Connor felt that the relatively late 19th century restoration (Ponting, 1890) saved the building from the worst that the Victorians could do. Very hospitable parishioners provided refreshments while the crawlers enjoyed their packed lunches in the shelter of the church.
Our final stop was Powerstock, another mainly 19th century church, but with an impressive Norman chancel arch. This is Dr Connor’s home church, so he was well able to describe the complex history of restorations of the building and to point out a number of details that the casual visitor might have missed. A particular feature is an early Tom Denny window in memory of Mark Stapleton Sanctuary which refers to local sights such as Eggardon and Golden Cap.
Jeremy Selfe offered a vote of thanks to the Bruce-Paynes, Tim Connor and their team who organised the day and made a particularly happy start to our 2023 outings.
Our season continued on Wed 7 Jun with our Friends meeting at Marnhull. Report to follow.
Thursday 13th July 2023 Crawl -Lytchett Matravers
The route for our most recent Crawl was:
Lytchett Matravers, St Mary We were offered the most splendid refreshments on arrival at 10.30am. Dr Tim Connor noted that the 1500 year old yew tree would likely have been the focus for religious observance hundreds of years before the first church had been founded there. The church has been associated with a number of distinguished families over the centuries and was largely rebuilt by the Matravers family in the 15th Century featuring a wide aisle, unusually on the north side, to house family monuments. The church which is otherwise very light and airy has a small amount of medieval glass set into a west window, having been rescued by cart from Wolferton House.
Corfe Mullen, St Hubert This church was largely rebuilt in 1841 but the medieval ceiling bosses were retained and two galleries survived. An early octagonal font in Purbeck stone was noted.
Bloxworth, St Andrew We enjoyed our picnics sitting in a sunny, sheltered part of the graveyard before exploring the church, which Tim explained is a building of 2 parts. The nave is plain with very few features, while the chancel was rebuilt in the classical Gothic revival style in the 1870s. The north chapel is replete with memorials to successive local families who lived at Bloxworth House.
Winterborne Tomson, St Andrew This very special little Norman church, now surrounded by farm buildings, was restored in 1931 by Alfred Powys to what he thought might have been its original appearance before it was handed over to the SPAB, the predecessor to the Churches Conservation Trust, which cares for now. The plain interior features an apse at the east end, oak box pews and pulpit and a beautifully carved inscription tablet to Powys by the celebrated Reynolds Stone. A day of great variety which was much enjoyed by regular and newly joined Friends.
The last Crawl of the year will be on Wednesday 13 September