Holnest Church near Sherborne

Dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the church at Holnest is a small but attractive building, mainly dating to the early 15th century. Largely left untouched by the Victorian restorers, it contains a number of important features, including a fine Jacobean pulpit, rare examples of Georgian box pews complete with candle sconces above, and an original medieval barrel-vaulted roof. As a unique and valuable part of our local and national heritage, this Grade I listed building should be cherished and preserved for worship, not only for ourselves but for future generations.

more information on wikipedia.

This is a walk around this lovely little church.

There once stood a mausoleum just in front of the church which has been removed - - -

Drax mausoleum.

The location of an incredible lost building - created by a Tory politician who was obsessed with his own demise.


Drax Mausoleum in the grounds of Holnest Church near Sherborne.

Parch marks in the dry grass show the footprint of the former building which was demolished in the 1930s.

They appear because an underlying structure, such as stone or brick, inhibits the growth of grass in the overlying topsoil.

In this case, the heat has aided the parch marks, which shows the immense size of the old building.


The building was originally built in 1872 by the eccentric John Samuel Wanley Sawbridge Erle-Drax (1800-1887).

The former Tory politician built the Drax Mausoleum for his own funeral.


Former South Dorset MP Richard Drax is a descendant of John.

Despite the sheer conspicuousness of the mausoleum, it wasn't always greatly recieved.

Frederick Treves (1853-1923) in his Highways and Byways in Dorset, remarked: "It is almost as large as the humble church, which is overshadowed by its vulgarity".

He even compared the building to a Victorian pumping station.

Fifteen years after the building was built in 1887, Erle-Drax had his funeral.

It is said that, in the months leading to his death, Erle-Drax carried out a rehearsal for his own funeral whereby he watched from an upstairs window in Holnest House as workmen carried his weighted coffin, berating them with unparliamentary language for not keeping step.

After John Erle-Drax's funeral there was no provisions made to ensure its longevity and the building fell into disrepair.

The church and the Drax family couldn't fund the costs to maintain it so it got knocked down 48 years later in 1935.

They sold the remains of the building for use elsewhere.

As the building was demolished, Erle-Drax's body was laid to rest beneath the ground where the Drax Mausoleum was.

You can still see his gravestone today, which is shown clearly in the centre of the parch marks which show where the mausoleum used to stand.

Chair of the Friends of Holnest Church, Luke Mouland said: "Whilst many photographs exist of the mausoleum, giving us a good idea of the immense size of the building in relation to the church, it's something else to be able to see a plan of it emerging on the ground in front of you."

About Holnest church;

According to the website of the Friends of Holnest Church: "


The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Holnest is a beautiful Grade 1 listed building dating largely to the 15th century."

With its short tower and variety of roof shapes, it forms a delightful feature in the landscape; its structure is of considerable architectural and historic interest and the large churchyard which surrounds it has been designated as a Site of Nature Conservation Interest due to the fact that it supports nine Dorset notable species of wildflower.

"The church lay redundant for many years and was narrowly saved from demolition in the 1950s thanks to the efforts of Ivor Bulmer Thomas and his newly-formed charity, the Friends of Friendless Churches, together with a small band of local volunteers."