Church of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is a parish church dating back to the 12th century, with significant construction in the 14th century and a 19th-century restoration in 1851, overseen by W. Butterfield. The church is largely built of squared rubble stone, with some rusticated and ashlar striping, featuring stone coped gables and a roof covered in Welsh slate and lead. Stone dressings include hood moulds, label stops, ballflower decoration, a plinth, and buttresses with set-offs.

The church comprises a west tower, a nave, north and south aisles, a chancel, north and south chancel chapels, and a south porch. The 14th-century tower has three stages, incorporating a restored west window, slits in the second stage, four Decorated bell openings, and battlements. It is topped with a slate pyramid roof and a weathercock. The nave features a 19th-century roof composed of curved braces resting on stone corbels and rising to collars. The west arch is double chamfered, with one chamfer dying into a curved respond.

The north arcade has three bays, with double chamfered arches; the first bay is round-arched from the 12th century, while the others are pointed. It includes nail-head decoration and circular piers. The south arcade has four bays, featuring double chamfered arches on octagonal piers and keeled responds. Hood moulds and label stops are present throughout. The north aisle windows have been restored with Perpendicular tracery and one is flat-topped. South aisle windows also feature Perpendicular tracery, with one being flat-topped.

The south porch was rebuilt by Butterfield. The chancel has a painted common-rafter roof, with the eastern portion of the rafters curved to create a cusped outline. The east window has restored Perpendicular tracery and ballflower decoration, with part of the lower lights blocked. A small window with simple tracery is located in the northeast corner of the north chancel chapel. The south chancel chapel contains a flat-topped window with Perpendicular tracery, a small south door and two further windows with simple tracery. There are two-bay chancel arcades with octagonal piers and keeled responds, featuring double chamfered arches, hood moulds and label stops to the south.

On the south side of the chancel is a sedilia with three niches and a piscina with a central jamb, incorporating hood moulds, label stops and ballflower decoration. A recess, possibly an Easter Sepulchre, is situated on the north side of the north chancel chapel. The north side of the north chancel chapel contains a double niche, possibly a sedilia with a central jamb, including rounded heads, cusped gables, moulded sides with pinnacles, hood moulds, label stops and ballflower decoration. To the left of the northeast window is a higher cusped headed niche; a corbel is located to the right alongside a small piscina basin protruding from a pier. A fine, alabaster recumbent effigy dating to circa 1500 of John Vernam, Rector of Ashwell, is present on a stone plinth.

In the south chancel chapel is an oak recumbent cross-legged effigy of a Knight, belonging to the Tuchet family, dating to circa 1320, alongside a double incised slab to John and Rose Vernam, dating to circa 1480. A small piscina with a cusped head is found in the south aisle, accompanied by a 19th-century wall monument above. Otherwise, the church features 19th-century woodwork including pews, a low chancel screen, and an altar rail. There is also a 19th-century pulpit, a brass lectern, an octagonal font with cover, and 19th-century stained glass, with work by O'Connor in the east and west windows.