St Bartholomew's Chapel, Corton

St Bartholomew's Chapel is a Church of England chapel in Corton, near Weymouth, Dorset, England.^[1] The chapel has early 13th century origins, with later rebuilds and a restoration of 1897. It is a Grade II* listed building.^[2]

St Bartholomew's Chapel
Religion
Affiliation	Church of England
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Active
Year consecrated	1897
Location
Location	Corton, Weymouth, Dorset, England
Geographic coordinates	50.6678°N 2.5165°W / 50.6678; -2.5165
Architecture
Type	Church

History

St Bartholomew's has origins to the early 13th century, with the chancel dating to this period. The nave was rebuilt in the 16th century.^[3] The building later served as a free chapel for a time but during the 19th century became used as a barn by the nearby Corton Farm.^[4] The altar was painted by Henry Joseph Moule in September 1886.^[5]

In 1897, the chapel underwent restoration which included rebuilding the west side of the nave.^[3] The building was reconsecrated by the Church of England that year as a chapel of ease to the parish church of St Peter in Portesham.^[6]

The chapel no longer holds regular services, but is used for approximately five special services each year.^[7] It now forms part of the circuit known as Chesil Churches.^[8]

Architecture

St Bartholomew's is built of coursed rubble stone with ashlar dressings and slate roofs. It is made up of a chancel and nave. Both the bell-cote on the west gable and stone cross-crosslet on the east gable are 20th-century additions. The three-light windows of the nave's west and south walls are 20th century.^[2] The chancel's east window dates to the late 14th century.^[3]

Internal fittings of note include a stone altar of early 13th-century origin, which sits on a base of Purbeck Marble. In the chancel are two 15th-century moulded stone corbels, as well as a piscina dating to the 13th century but since restored. The chancel floor has eighteen re-set tiles of medieval origin.^[3]