Church Of St Mary

NZ 45 SW SEAHAM CHURCH LANE (South side)

2/29 Church of St. Mary (Formerly listed as 21.6.50 St. Mary's Church, I Seaham Hall)

Church. Possibly C8 with additions and alterations between Cll-C16, restored 1913. Dressed sandstone and limestone with low-pitch graduated green slate roof, and porch roof of sandstone flags. West tower, aisleless nave and chancel, south porch and north vestry. Tall narrow 4-bay nave has quoins and chamfered plinth; north and south walls each have 2 possibly C8 windows with monolithic round-arched heads, original rear-arches and deeply splayed internal sills; north-west window has external moulding of concentric circles, rear-arch of north-east window has wheatear moulding; 2 C13 lancets in north wall and one lancet in south wall have C8 rear-arches; two 2-light Perpendicular-style windows in south wall with massive probably C14 buttress to right. Course of herringbone masonry c.2 metres above ground level in north wall is partly hidden by late C19 north vestry.Slightly projecting C15 battlemented parapet with one original water spout in south wall. Lower and narrower, probably late C12, 2-bay chancel has chamfered plinth and C15 battlemented parapet; 3 lancets in south wall and 2 in north wall have chamfered reveals and pointed splayed rear-arches; buttressed east end has 2 round-headed lancets under continuous hoodmould with nailhead decoration and splayed rear-arches.

Mid C13 west tower has quoins and chamfered plinth; ground floor lancet in west wall and 3 lancets above have pointed heads and chamfered reveals; original roof line visible in east wall; corbel table supports restored C15 battlemented parapet.

Probably C16 porch has quoins, chamfered round-arched entrance and elaborate sun- dial with plaque dated 1773; left and right returns have slit lancets with wide internal splays; low-pitched stone-flagged roof carried on 2 slightly pointed and chamfered transverse ribs; blocked opening with fragmentary shaft and re-set head corbel above south door within porch. Interior: Nave has round-headed piscina in south wall near chancel arch. South wall of chancel has piscina with pointed head and slightly projecting stoup and aumbry with broken trefoiled head and carved relief of a hand raised in blessing on rear wall; both piscina and aumbry have borders with nailhead decoration. Double-chamfered pointed chancel arch, restored in 1920, springs from double-head corbels and has pointed hoodmould above with original head corbel to right. Chancel and nave roofs of 1920 with 3 and 5 King-post trusses respectively. Double-chamfered pointed tower arch on corbels with dogtooth moulding has chamfered jambs with bar stops. C18 panelled box pews in nave and chancel with 3 original brass name plates. Polygonal pulpit of wood with classical details c.1579. Medieval or possibly C17 round font, with moulded base, cylindrical shaft and floral border, has possibly C17 font cover of wood.

Listing NGR: NZ4224050499