St Andrew's Church
An absolutely lovely church. A single-cell Norman apsidal church that is virtually unaltered since the day it was built, with all its early 18th century woodwork intact.
The village of Winterborne Tomson did not thrive and is now reduced to the early 17th century Tomson House, a farm and half a dozen cottages. However there are plenty of lumps and bumps in the surrounding fields to indicate that it was once much larger.
St Andrew's was rescued from near dereliction and restored on the 1920s by an outstandingly sensitive architect, A R Powys, the then Secretary of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB). The money was largely raised from the sale of a collection of Thomas Hardy manuscripts owned by the Society. Hardy, who was a member of the Society for 47 years, loved this church.
External Links and References
External Links
- Church of Saint Andrew, Anderson
Information from the British Listed Buildings site
https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101118600-church-of-saint-andrew-anderson - Winterborne Tomson, St Andrew
Churches Conservation Trust Handbook Entry
https://www.visitchurches.org.uk/visit/church-listing/st-andrew-winterborne-tomson.html - Winterborne Tomson
More on the history of the church from the Great English Churches site
https://greatenglishchurches.co.uk/html/winterborne_tomson.html - The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
Surprisingly thin site
https://www.spab.org.uk/
- Church of Saint Andrew, Anderson
Recommended Books
-
England's Thousand Best Churches by Simon Jenkins
A bit dull, or should I say worthy, but packed full of information.
-
England's Thousand Best Churches by Simon Jenkins
Leaflets
- St Andrew's Church by Christopher Dalton
Available at the church, and via the Churches Conservation Trust
- St Andrew's Church by Christopher Dalton