CHURCH KNOWLE . DORSET . St Peter

ST PETER . CHURCH KNOWLE . DORSET

GRADE II* ❖ Early C13 origin, cruciform; C14 3-stage tower and porch added; C18 upper tower rebuilt. Despite the slightly forbidding exterior, the charming interior is worth taking time to admire. Double squints; areas of medieval painting. Date Stone 1741, I C and E C, Churchwardens on S wall. Betjeman family connections. 4m S of Wareham; 6m W of Swanage. 50.6371 / -2.0851 / SY940819

DIALS

St Peter has 2 dials, both hard to locate. One is easy to miss unless you spot its pattern. The other is hard to define, even if you notice faint traces of lines.

DIAL 1

This early dial (GLP suggests C13) is on SW corner of S transept. The gnomon hole is obvious, the arc of 7 small pits in the stone below it much less so. GLP noted a single vertical line 55mm long, but I couldn’t make it out.

DIAL 2

Found on E jamb of S window of S transept. GLP notes ‘4 lines, 2 of which end in holes’, the gnomon hole probably being in the damaged area. I was only able to make out 2 definite descending lines, even with a very close camera shot.