Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is a parish church dating from 1801, designed by Charles Mountain of Kingston upon Hull, with alterations made in 1885 and the roof replaced circa 1980. The church is constructed of coursed reused rubble and ashlar, faced in yellow brick in Flemish bond, with some areas stuccoed and others concrete rendered. Limestone ashlar and red brick dressings are used, and the roof is covered in concrete tiles.

The church comprises a west tower, a three-bay nave, and a single-bay chancel. The four-stage tower has a round-arched entrance with a board door and fanlight, set within a recessed red brick panel. The tower’s second stage is rendered, while the third stage features recessed round-arched belfry openings with wooden louvres, a dentilled brick cornice, and a rendered stone-coped parapet with plain sandstone angle pinnacles. The nave has pilasters flanking full-height round-arched panels, the base of which is blocked and contain inserted recessed twin round-headed windows. The north side of the chancel has remnants of stucco covering wall, cornice and frieze. There is a raised dentilled red brick cornice, a narrow ashlar string course, and a red brick frieze with recessed rectangular panels above the windows. The west end has single round-arched openings flanking the tower, with inserted recessed round-arched windows and single recessed rectangular panels above. The chancel includes a full-height round arched panel to the east with a stepped triple round-headed window. Interior features include chamfered round arches to the nave and chancel, and a boarded coved ceiling. A Gothick panelled pulpit with a traceried balustrade is complemented by its staircase. Later 19th-century wall tablets are situated in the chancel. Royal Arms from 1802 are located at the east end of the nave. The rubble walls incorporate reused masonry, likely salvaged from the medieval church at nearby Owthorne, which was demolished in the late 18th century due to coastal erosion.