Church Of St Mary

Church of St Mary, Swine

A Grade I listed church on the south side of Church Lane. Originally the east appendix to the nun's church of a Cistercian nunnery, it dates from around 1180, with significant additions and alterations in the early 14th century, 15th century, and later. The west tower was rebuilt in 1787, and a porch and vestry were added in the 19th century. The building is constructed of magnesian limestone ashlar with a Welsh slate roof.

The church comprises a three-stage west tower, a four-bay nave with clerestory and aisles, a single-bay chancel with a south vestry and north aisle chapel. The nave and chancel sit under a continuous roof.

The west tower stands on a plinth with diagonal buttresses with offsets. On the west side is a two-light pointed window with reticulated-type tracery in a double-chamfered surround under a hollow-moulded hood, with a slit window to its right. The south side has another slit window. The first and second stages are marked by bands. At the second stage are two-light belfry openings on each side with Y-tracery in double-chamfered pointed surrounds under hoodmoulds. The tower is topped with a cornice and battlements with pinnacles at the angles.

The south aisle of the nave contains, at its west end, a three-light pointed window with reticulated tracery under a hoodmould with face stops. The south porch at the first bay has a pointed-arched opening with roll-moulding on cylindrical piers with hollow-moulded capitals in a chamfered surround under a hoodmould. Within is a pointed plank door in a hollow-and-roll moulded surround. The remainder of the aisle has three three-light straight-headed windows with reticulated tracery in hollow-chamfered surrounds under hoodmoulds with face stops. At the fourth bay is a two-trefoiled-light window under a four-centred arch in a hollow-moulded surround. At the east end of the aisle is a three-light window with reticulated tracery in a four-centred surround under a hoodmould, partly obscured by the vestry. The aisle has chamfered eaves.

The clerestory above has lancet lights to each bay with pilaster buttresses between them. A corbel table continues across the chancel.

The south chancel has a vestry with a pilaster buttress and a pointed plank door under a hoodmould with face stops, a hollow-chamfered cornice, low parapet, and chamfered copings. East of the vestry is a two-light straight-headed window. The clerestory has a three-light window in a four-centred surround with Perpendicular tracery.

The north side has an aisle that continues across the nave and chancel. End buttresses with offsets mark the aisle. At the first bay is a pointed-arched plank door within a chamfered surround with quatrefoil decoration to the spandrels under a hollow-moulded hoodmould with face stops. Three-light straight-headed windows with reticulated tracery run throughout under hollow-chamfered hoodmoulds with headstops. The aisle has a low parapet with chamfered copings. At its east end is a five-light window with reticulated tracery in a four-centred surround. The clerestory has pilaster buttresses between bays with lancets to the first five bays; the remainder is concealed by a lean-to roof. A corbel table runs along this side.

The east end has pilaster buttresses and a seven-light window in a four-centred moulded surround with Perpendicular tracery under a hoodmould with face stops.

Interior features include a double-chamfered pointed tower arch with square abaci. The four-bay nave arcades are pointed-arched with triple-chamfering; the two easternmost bays on the north side have zigzag moulding to the outer arch. All arches rest on cylindrical piers with scalloped capitals and square abaci set on moulded bases.

The font dates from the late 18th century and is made of artificial stone, with a four-columnar stem surmounted by a bowl. The pulpit is dated 1619 and has decorative panels with blank round arches. Eight choir stalls with misericords feature carved details: a man looking through his legs, five heads, a grotesque, and a griffin.

Screens in the north-east chapel and chancel are constructed from parts of two reused screens dating to around 1531, featuring linenfold panelling and columns with spiral and lozenge decoration.

The church contains several notable monuments. Two medieval coffins lie to the west of the aisles. Alabaster effigial tombs commemorate members of the Hilton family: a knight and his lady from around 1370 in the south aisle, on a chest decorated with shields in quatrefoils; in the north-east chapel, a tomb to Sir Robert and his wife Constance from around 1393 with tomb chests flanked by pairs of angels holding shields; a monument to Robert Hilton and his wife Maud from around 1372 on a chest with shields and kneeling weepers; and a tomb to Robert Hilton from around 1400 on a chest that was undergoing restoration at the time of survey. A medieval graveslab with an incised cross and the remains of another also survive.