| St Martin on the Wall Church (picture by Peter Watts) |  |
St Martin on the Wall Church
Photographer Description of St Martin on the Wall Church
Panorama taken inside St Martin's Church in Wareham. As shown, the church has white-washed walls with very old paintings.St Martin on the Wall Church - Further Information
St Martin's Church is the oldest and most complete Saxon church in Dorset and inside are some of the most complete Saxon wall paintings. The church is now a Grade I listed building of historical interest and well worth a visit. The church is also a functioning, worshipping community.On the North wall of the chancel are various 12th century frescos of St Martin. Martin was a Roman soldier in France in the mid 4th century. One rainy night he met a beggar at the walls of Amiens. Cutting his robe in two he gave half to the beggar. In the night he had a dream of Jesus Christ wearing the half cloak. As a result he converted to Christianity, left the army and spent the rest of his life spreading the gospel in rural France, eventually becoming bishop of Tours.
The paintings within the church were made with crushed stone pushed into the wet plaster. This meant that the colours would not fade in time. The works were covered up during the Reformation. St Martin's was closed in 1736 and not used for 200 years, resulting in decay and a collapsed roof. The wall paintings were uncovered again in 1986 during restoration works.
St Martin's also contains a life size effigy of Lawrence of Arabia, carved in 1939 by Eric Kennington.
The church is open to the public during shopping hours. The building is often locked and the key is available from one of the nearby shops on North Road, as indicated by a notice on the church door.
Address:
St Martin in the Walls Church,
North Street
Wareham
Travel Directions and Getting There:
Train: Wareham Rail Station.
Road: The church is on North Road, at the northern end of Wareham on the A351. Wareham is 4 miles from [[4636,Corfe Castle]], about 11 miles from [[4029,Poole]] and 22miles east of [[1043,Dorchester]].
