Church of All Saints

All Saints’ Church stands in the quiet village of Tarrant Keyneston in Dorset. Most of the building dates from 1852–53, though its west tower is a survivor from the 15th century. The church is built of local Melbury stone rubble and flint, with Bath stone dressings and tiled roofs from Donhead. Inside are a nave, chancel, north aisle, vestry and south porch, arranged around the older tower. The tower itself has a plain embattled parapet and two-stage structure with diagonal buttresses. Four bells hang in the tower, one from the 15th century and three added in the 20th. The church’s rebuilding was led by Thomas Henry Wyatt of London after the old building became unsafe. The new structure was designed to seat 280 in a parish of about 320 people. Funds came from Sir John J. Smith, the lord of the manor, and from Rev. Henry Austen, whose father had been rector. The Bishop of Salisbury consecrated the church in September 1853. Later changes included new bells in memory of Rev. Philip Wingate, a reconstructed pulpit and a new tower roof. Visitors enter through the south porch into a spacious nave and chancel. The octagonal stone font and timber pulpit date from the rebuild, and the organ by Gray and Davison was installed in 1853. The communion table has a 17th-century base with a 19th-century top, and wrought-iron rails were added in 1906. Outside, the churchyard holds Grade II listed table tombs of local families, including the architects Thomas and John Bastard.