WINTERBORNE CLENSTON &

THE  CHURCH OF ST. NICHOLAS

Nestling between Winterborne Stickland and Winterborne Whitechurch in an idyllic rural setting, St. Nicholas Church at Winterborne Stickland was built in 1940 to replace the original structure that was demolished in 1839.  The church is surrounded by green pastures and a little stream runs nearby, making it a delightful place to visit.  On the chalk downs above Clenston is Comb’s Ditch, an ancient earthwork and relic of what was in ancient times a line of defence.

 

The church is constructed in a flint banded  with Portland Ashlar stone, and comprises a chancel, nave, transepts with high pitched roofs and a west tower surmounted by a spire. The date of construction is on the south face of the tower in a cinquefoil along with the initials of the benefactress Margaretta Michel of nearby Whatcombe House, and who financed the work.  Her husband was the Rector of Sturminster Newton and there is a family vault under the south transept that has long since been sealed up.