St Mary's Church - Tyneham, Dorset, UK
Posted by: 
Dragontree
N 50° 37.395 W 002° 10.140
30U E 558781 N 5608259
A medieval church in origin in the now abandoned Tyneham valley.
Waymark Code: WM4WKE
Location: Southern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 10/06/2008
Views: 23
The church is cruciform in its design and has Early English and Decorated styles throughout. A piscina dating back to 1300 can be found in the north transept which was restored in 1744. After the population increased in Tyneham the south transept was built for the Bond family leaving the north transept to accommodate the parishioners impolitely named the 'cowstalls'. The north transept was always for 'the manor' prior to this. The south porch dating from the 14th century was taken down and replaced as the west porch in 1880. The church probably originated as a chapel for the manor house alone.
Like today, the lead from the roof was stolen when Tyneham was evacuated for the MOD use in the World War. The roof was replaced with a bituminous material and then partly tiled by the army in recent years. Also the interior was whitened as it was converted into Tyneham museum with a timeline running around the walls.
The church now remains in posession of the army with Tyneham itself, as the residents were never allowed to return. The site is open at weekends when advertised when the ranges are not in use.
Building Materials: Stone
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Visit Instructions:
Logs for Medieval churches waymark must contain a date found and any details about the visit there. Also photos and other experiences related to the building are welcome.