St. John The Baptist Church in the 1900's

THE 20th CENTURY

In September, 1901 a fund was started for improving, rebuilding or renewing the organ. In fact, a new organ was built, using parts of the old one, at a cost of £380, and was completed at Christmas 1903.

The Organ (click to enlarge)

In 1905 the oak screen to the south side of the vestry was erected to `replace the present unsightly arrangement of curtains,' and took the form of a memorial to George Hibbs who had died in January 1903. He had been an ardent church worker, being in the choir for 45 years, and a churchwarden from 1884 until his death. He had also been the 'barrel-organist' when that instrument was in use. The screen, which cost about £100, was designed and carved by Harry Hems and Son of Exeter, the firm who had carried out the woodwork in 1875.

Oak Vestry Screen (click to enlarge)

In 1906 the roofs of the south aisle and nave were found to be leaking in no less than ten different places, and the repair work was completed by June, 1907. The building contractor was Mr. F. Stickland of Blandford, and the total cost, including expenses in connection with the appeal, was £133.

In 1907 a fund was started to provide an oak reredos behind the altar, and it was later decided that it should take the form of a memorial to Mr. Drax who had died in April of that year.

Reredos Detail (click to enlarge)

The work was carried out by Messrs. Parsons of Dewlish to the design of Mr. A. Troyte Griffith, an architect of Great Malvern, Worcestershire, and the completed reredos was dedicated on 18 April, 1909.

The Reredos & Altar (click to enlarge)

By the end of the 1914-18 war repair work had accumulated, and one of the most urgent tasks was the repair, tuning and rehanging of the bells, and renewal of the bell frame. In addition a new treble bell was added, bringing the peal up from five to six, and when the old frame was removed, extensive repairs to the tower itself were found to be necessary. The work, which cost £210 16s. 821 d., was completed by February 1920.

The enclosure of the vestry, started in 1905 by erecting the south screen, was completed by a screen on the east side. Harry Hems and Son of Exeter again carried out the work, which was finished just before Christmas, 1923.

Before 1925 the church was lit by chandelier type paraffin lamps and as these became worn out, it grew increasingly difficult to replace them with similar fittings. It was therefore decided to completely renew the lighting, and an ambitious project of electric lighting was embarked upon seven or eight years in advance of mains electricity coming to the village. The system was completed, and used for the first time at the evening service on Armistice Day, 1925. The work was carried out by Messrs. Allen-Liversidge of London at a cost of between £500 and £550, and included the erection of an engine house (now used as a storage shed), 32 h.p. petrol driven Lister engine driving a 50 volt D.C. generator, lead sheathed wiring and Holophane glass light fittings. When a mains supply later became available, this wiring intended for a 50 volt D.C. supply, then had to cope with 240 volt A.C. current, and continued to do so until 1962.

The old underfloor ducted air heating system (of which the ducts and gratings still remain) finally failed to function in November 1925 after exactly 50 years service. A new central heating system was installed, and first used on 11 November, 1926. Although the boiler itself has been replaced several times since, the basic system of radiators and circulating pipes remains in use. Mr. W. H. R. Blacking, an architect of Guildford designed the system, and the work was carried out by Messrs. Wippell Bros. and Row of Exeter.

In 1931 the whole of the lead on the north aisle roof was relaid, and extensive repairs were carried out to the top of the tower. This work entailed taking down and rebuilding the south parapet and repairing and repointing the remaining parapets and pinnacles. It was also during this year that the presence of death watch beetle in the nave roof was first suspected.

Water had been penetrating the tower walls at various points, and in 1932 this was rectified by repairs and repointing at a cost of about £180. At the same time the external walling of the south aisle was repaired and repointed.

In 1934 the choir stalls in the chancel were extended eastwards, again by Messrs. Harry Hems and Son of Exeter, who had carried out most of the other church woodwork. In 1936 supplementary choir stalls for ladies were added in the nave, in memory of the Rev. P. W. Taylor who had died in 1935.

The Choir Stalls (click to enlarge)

Just before the second world war, death watch beetle was found to have become firmly established in the nave roof, and it was extensively repaired and treated with a preservative.

In 1950 after several of the stone slates on the chancel roof had become displaced, the whole roof was stripped and the slates rehung, the work being carried out by A. E. Griffin and Son.

By the end of 1962 the whole of the old electrical wiring had been removed and replaced by new copper sheathed cable, and new high level inconspicuous spot lights were installed. The old wiring had become unsafe and rewiring afforded the opportunity to dispense with the old light fittings which were suspended on chains in front of the arcades. The new lighting was dedicated by the Rev. R. C. Herring, the previous vicar, at a special service on 23 June, 1963.

During the summer of 1963 an oil fired mechanism was fitted to the boiler, together with an electric circulating pump, thermostatic control and time switch, putting the church heatingsystem on an automatic basis. Later, however the new automatic mechanism was in danger of deteriorating as a result of water penetration through the boiler house roof and walls, and in addition the cast iron beams supporting the concrete roof had corroded badly and were unsafe. In 1966 the roof was removed, the walls were lined and waterproofed and a new insulated timber roof was constructed. At the same time the boiler was renewed, and the efficiency of the heating system improved by adjustments to the pipework in the boiler house. In September 1966 the choir stalls were removed from the chancel and re-erected at the east end of the nave, in order to accommodate a larger choir in one position.

The organ had long been in need of tuning, cleaning and repair, and early in 1967 it was completely dismantled for this purpose. This afforded a long sought for opportunity to remove the organ from the Morton Chapel which it completely filled, and it was therefore re-assembled in a new position further west in the north aisle.

After a thorough inspection of the whole roof and other woodwork, including treatment where required, and a complete overhaul of all the parapets, lead flashings and gutters, the internal plasterwork was repaired where necessary in November and December 1969, and the whole of the interior white lime-washed.

In 1971 the whole of the tower, except the lower part, was cleaned, repaired and repointed at a cost of over £2,000. At the same time the pinnacles at the top of the stair turret were renewed and presented to the church by the Griffin family in
memory of the late G. R. Griffin. One of the old pinnacles had been missing for a great many years.

Following removal of the organ in 1967, work on the restoration of the Morton Chapel proceeded as and when funds permitted, many items being donated as memorials. The principal items consisted of the removal, restoration and refixing of the old 17th century pulpit and stall panelling formerly fixed to the north wall of the vestry, new steel radiator grill, new altar with locally made tapestry panels, stainless steel altar furnishings, carpet, chairs, kneelers and kneeling benches. The work was completed in 1973.

Views of The Morton Chapel (click to enlarge)

In 1999 a concealed kitchen unit (with running water) was installed at the Western end of the southern Aisle. In addition, the former electricty shed was converted into a disabled toilet & storeroom.

Finally, as the century drew to a close, floodlighting was installed in time for the Millenium. Click the photograph to enlarge.

The Church floodlit at the Millenium