Church of St George Langham

St George’s Church stands at the edge of Langham, a small hamlet west of Gillingham in Dorset. Built in 1921 to designs by Charles Ponting, it is a modest stone building with a thatched roof and a single bell in a small bellcote. The church was raised as a chapel of ease so local farm workers and villagers did not have to travel far to services. It was placed over the vault where Alfred T. Manger was buried in 1917, fulfilling his wish to create a place of worship on his estate. The church honours three fallen relatives of the Manger family. Lieutenant Colonel Charles Harwood Manger dedicated the building to Saint George in memory of his brother John, cousin George and brother-in-law Robert, all killed in the First World War. Inside, simple oak fittings and the altar remain as Ponting designed them. A marble slab in front of the altar marks the tomb of Alfred and his wife, who died in 1919. Visitors step into a quiet nave that seats about forty people. The apse at the east end holds the altar beneath the thatched roof. A north transept and porch provide shelter at the entrance. The single bell still rings for occasional services, looked after by the Manger family trust. Outside, the stone walls blend with the surrounding farmland, offering a peaceful place to pause.