What to see

The parish of Wareham St Martin extends further out of the main town and more information can be found by clicking in the main Wareham link.

Of particuar interest is the church of St Martin in Wareham which is about 1000 years old and the best example of Saxon work in Dorset. It is recorded as having been founded earlier than this by St Aldhelm although this may have been a reference to another building destroyed by the Danes in the raids of the 9th and 10th centuries.

The building, as it now stands, represents the most complete example of a Saxon church in Dorset. Aspects showing
its Saxon origin include:

 A tall, narrow nave and chancel
 Late Saxon wall-arcading in the North West Isle
 Traces of a Saxon door.

The association with St Martin is made apparent by the 12th century frescoes on the North wall of the chancel which depict St Martin on horseback, escorted by attendants, dividing his cloak and giving one half to a beggar. It is said that later the saint had a dream in which he saw Christ wearing the same portion of the cloak.

It is in the North aisle that the visitor will find the effigy of T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia). The effigy was sculpted by Eric Kennington and given to the church by Lawrence's brother in 1939. Lawrence is depicted in Arabic dress with a curved dagger in his hand and a whip to his side. His feet rest against a block of Hittite sculpture of two fighting bulls representing his archaeological research and his own struggles in the First World War.

During the Great Fire of Wareham in 1762 the church was used as a temporary refuge for those who lost their homes. Later the church fell into disuse but was rededicated by the then Bishop of Salisbury on St Aldhelm's day 1936.

Today the church is regularly used for worship including a weekly communion on Wednesdays. The work of preserving the work and researching its history continues and donations towards this on-going work are gratefully received at all times. Further information is available from The Rectory, Pound Lane, Wareham, Dorset. BH20 4LQ.