Our Churches
About us
The churches of the Two Rivers Benefice comprises the five parishes of Blandford St Mary, Charlton Marshall, Spetisbury, Langton Long, Tarrant Rushton with Tarrant Rawston and Tarrant Keynston with Tarrant Crawford all located near the Georgian town of Blandford Forum.
As a Benefice we are committed to making Jesus known through ‘Seeking God, Serving others and by being stronger together’
The logo depicts both where we are and who we are.
Where? We are churches along two rivers (River Stour and River Tarrant), -surrounded by green countryside.
Who? We are churches who desire to work together represented by the circle. Everything that we do is to love God and others and this is depicted by the dove, a symbol of God’s presence.
Water in the Christian faith is significant too. Through water at baptism we are welcomed into the church family, and through water the weary find refreshment and renewal. As churches we too seek to be welcoming communities where people can be inwardly renewed and refreshed.
St Mary’s Church, Lower Blandford St Mary
The Parish of Blandford St Mary lies south of the larger town of Blandford Forum on the banks of the River Stour. St Mary’s Church is situated in Lower Blandford St Mary, DT11 9ND. The Church was built in the Early English Style and dates from the 14th century. It was later rebuilt and enlarged in Georgian Gothic style. The stained glass windows are a very special feature along with some interesting memorials. Our churchyard overlooks the meadows to the River Stour and provides a peaceful and tranquil place to sit and reflect.
This lovely church offers a variety of services and festivals and would love to welcome you. The Church has links with the local Primary school and hosts children’s harvest and Christmas celebrations open to all.
You can always be sure of a warm welcome at St Mary’s, at a Sunday service or at our busy ‘Coffee, Cake and Community Chat’ one Thursday each month.
St Mary the Virgin Church, Charlton Marshall
A rare example of an early eighteenth century rural parish church, it is a grade 1 listed building; it includes an earlier late fourteenth century tower with Georgian embellishments, and a (largely) sympathetic Victorian refurbishment in 1895. It is a gem.
It is located on the banks of the River Stour and lies one mile equidistant from Spetisbury and Blandford St Mary churches.
https://www.opcdorset.org/CharltonMarshallFiles/CharltonMarshall.htm
St John the Baptist Church, Spetisbury
The origins of the church are medieval with links to an Augustinian monastic settlement in the village. In the eighteenth century the living at Spetisbury was a wealthy one, a fact not lost one of its longest serving rectors (61 years) Rev Thomas Rackett who is buried in the churchyard. An absentee parson he nevertheless spent a fortune on a spectacular array of schemes; to his credit his expenditure on the Rectory now known as Cedar Court is a magnificent example of a compact early Georgian country house.
The church was much rebuilt in 1858 with the sixteenth century pulpit retained. It contains a fine organ and an impressive peal of six bells rung by an enthusiastic and dedicated team of ringers.
Adjacent to the church is the Church of England primary school to which some 50+ children from Charlton Marshall attend. This is just one example of the very close links that exist between Charlton Marshall and the village of Spetisbury.
All Saints, Langton Long
All Saints, Langton Long, is a beautiful Dorset village church just outside Blandford Forum – a place of peace and tranquility, built by the Victorians, overlooking the River Stour. It has 10 very beautiful windows and the parish extends to encompass about 2,000 people living on the far side of the ring road from the Church, going into the edges of Blandford Forum. We are a small community but, we think, a very generous one and welcome visitors and new members of the congregation very warmly.
St Mary’s, Tarrant Rushton
St Mary’s Tarrant Rushton sits in a peaceful, idyllic position, at the north end of the village postcode DT11 8SD.
The church was consecrated in 1150 AD. Special features of interest include the layout of the church, which forms a Greek Cross, its ‘acoustic pots’, which makes the service more audible in the main body of the church, and is the only one of its kind in Dorset, and its ‘ leper window’ and ‘squint’.
All Saints, Tarrant Keynston
