Leweston (Holy Trinity)

Former Holy Trinity Church, Leweston, Dorset

The old parish church of Holy Trinity is now part of St Anthony's Leweston School, an independent, Catholic school for girls. St Anthony's School moved to Leweston Manor from Sherborne in 1948. There is also a much larger modern chapel within the school grounds, built in 1968-70 and designed by the Brandt Potter Hare Partnership. The school grounds are not open to the public, but Holy Trinity can be seen from the public footpath/bridleway that links Lillington with Longburton. Newman and Pevsner (pp. 252-253) note that Holy Trinity was built in 1616 by Sir John Fitzjames and that many of the internal fittings (two-decker pulpit, benches and panelling) date from the same era.

Sources:

• Hutchins, J. The history and antiquities of the County of Dorset, 3rd ed., edited by W. Shipp and J.W. Hodson, Westminster: J.B. Nichols, 1861-1873.
• Newman, J. and Pevsner, N., The buildings of England: Dorset. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1972, pp. 252-253.
• Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), Inventory of historical monuments in the County of Dorset, Vol. 1, West Dorset. London: HMSO, 1952, pp. 132-133.

Modern Chapel at St Anthony's Leweston School, Dorset

Web links:

Leweston School: http://www.leweston.co.uk/

To Dorset Churches Index Page

Maintained by Michael Day, Last updated: 30 May 2008.