Church Of St Mary The Virgin

Church of St Mary the Virgin, Clifton

A parish church of coursed squared stone and ashlar with ashlar dressings, lead and slate roofs, buttresses, coped parapets and gables. Mainly 14th century in date, but with earlier and later elements spanning from around 1190 to the late 15th century. The building comprises a chancel and vestry, transepts, a crossing tower, a nave with clerestory, and aisles. A late 20th-century parish room adjoins to the south. The church was restored in 1846 by Cottingham, in 1873 by Hodgson Fowler, in 1884 by Bodley, in 1965–75 by GG Pace, and in 1975–83 by R Sims.

The north arcade dates from around 1190 in the Transitional style, while the south arcade is from around 1290. The clerestory was added and the tower raised in the late 14th century, and the chancel was enlarged, the north transept and porch added in the late 15th century. The exterior displays Decorated and Perpendicular styles throughout.

The chancel, of 2 bays, has a pointed arched east window of 5 lights with panel tracery. On each side are two 3-light flat-headed windows with tracery, set on a sill band. The north side features a moulded pointed arched door. The vestry, of 2 bays, stands to the south east. The transepts have angle buttresses and 3-light pointed arched windows, the north with a transom. The south window is partly blocked by later additions. Each transept has two 3-light windows to the east, the north flat-headed and the south pointed arched.

The crossing tower is square and unbuttressed, comprising 3 stages with chamfered string courses and a crenellated parapet. The middle stage has pointed arched openings of 2 lights on each side, with clocks to the north and west. Above the east opening is a blocked ogee-headed opening of 2 lights. The bell stage contains 2 pointed arched openings of 2 lights to the east and west, and pointed arched 3-light openings to the north and south.

The nave clerestory displays on each side 3 traceried windows of 2 lights. The west end has a pointed arched 2-light window with Y tracery, flanked by similar smaller aisle windows. The north aisle, of 3 bays, has a central porch with a low pitched gable and pointed arched doorway. To the east is a flat-headed window of 3 lights, and to the west a smaller 2-light window. The south aisle, of 2 bays, has pointed arched 2-light windows. At the east end is a projection in the return angle with 3 lancets in the gable.

The interior is mainly rendered, with the chancel scraped. The chancel has a chamfered arch with octagonal responds and a painted flat roof with bosses. The east end features a stained glass window of 1852 and a reredos by Bodley of 1884. The north side has a segment-arched door. The south side contains a piscina, triple sedilia, and a Tudor arched doorway dated 1632. The crossing has double chamfered arches and a flat ceiling with bosses. A late 20th-century traceried glazed screen stands to the east.

The north transept has a late 20th-century pitched roof and contains Clifton family monuments. The south transept has a similar roof and 2 doors to the south under the window, all late 20th-century additions. The nave has a low pitched roof with arch braces on corbels. The north arcade, of 3 bays and in Transitional style, features round piers and responds with arches bearing keeled roll moulding and a nailhead band. The south arcade has octagonal piers with foliage capitals and double chamfered arches. The west window is blocked by an organ case. The aisles have lean-to roofs and double chamfered eastern arches.

The church contains an octagonal font and a 17th-century parish chest. Memorials include several to the Clifton family in the north transept. A notable late 14th-century alabaster knight monument and a late 14th-century alabaster chest tomb with a female figure are among the most significant. A chest tomb with 3 figures, dating to around 1587, commemorates Sir Gervase Clifton and his wives, created by Gabriel Royley of Burton on Trent in alabaster. An outstanding wall monument with a table tomb, crest, obelisks, and a casket of bones, dated 1631, also honours 3 wives of Sir Gervase Clifton. A wall tablet of 1666 to Sir Gervase Clifton features a bust in an oval niche of painted marble. Two ashlar tablets, of the late 17th and 18th centuries, bear memento mori inscriptions. Fittings are mainly of late 19th and late 20th-century date.