St Nicholas Church, Studland

This lovely little church at Studland is dedicated to St Nicholas of Myra, the patron saint of sailors and fishermen.

The church itself is Norman, but is a rebuilding of a much earlier chapel established towards the end of the 7th century and later plundered by the Vikings. 

The most striking feature of the church is its stubby tower.  It is believed that the building of a full tower was abandoned at some point during the works. This may have been because the builders were not confident that the minimal foundations could handle the weight of a full tower.