St Andrews Church.

St Andrew's church stands beside the Victorian Gothic mansion of Lulworth Castle, at the heart of the Lulworth Estate. The church was originally at the hea...
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St Andrew's church stands beside the Victorian Gothic mansion of Lulworth Castle, at the heart of the Lulworth Estate. The church was originally at the heart of the village, but in the 18th century the village was pulled down and moved to make way for the Lulworth Castle park.
The oldest part of the church is the 15th century tower, which holds a ring of 3 bells. One was cast in 1589 but the oldest dates to before the Reformation, perhaps to the late 15th century. The bell frame has room for a fourth bell, but local tradition says that the bell was lost at sea when the ship carrying it was sunk at Arish Mel, off the Isle of Purbeck.
In the 1780s the church was reduced in size, and the Weld family vault removed.
The Thomas Hardy Connection:-
The body of the church was rebuilt in 1864 under the direction of architect John Hicks. The plans were drawn up by Hicks' assistant, and aspiring architect by the name of Thomas Hardy, who would go on to achieve fame as one of England's best-loved novelists.
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