Church of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is a medieval parish church, extensively restored in 1844 by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin for Henry Alford, who was then vicar and later Dean of Canterbury. The church is constructed of squared sandstone rubble with ashlar dressings, quoins, and parapets. The four-stage Perpendicular west tower is buttressed, featuring an ogee arch to the west door set within a square surround with quatrefoils in the spandrels. Above the door is a three-light window, and paired lights illuminate the bell chamber. A lozenge frieze runs below the embattled parapet, and corner pinnacles and gargoyles adorn the tower.

The nave has five bays with a Perpendicular embattled clerestory. A south porch was added by Pugin, featuring an ogee arch capped by fleur de lys and buttresses parallel to and extending from the south wall. Within the porch is an early 14th-century double shafted doorway. A two-story north porch, also added by Pugin, features a steeply pitched roof, copings, angled buttresses, ornate frontwork with trefoiled lights, and a niche supporting the springing of the entrance arch’s ogee. Pugin also introduced both north and south aisle windows with stilted arches on corbel heads, hood moulds, and richly foiled tracery.

The Perpendicular chancel features two windows with two ranks of trefoiled panel tracery, rising to a graceful curve. The east window is similar. A small projecting bay to the north of the chancel contains the vestry.

Internally, the five-bay nave has an early 14th-century arcade of double-chamfered arches on octagonal piers with small foliate capitals. The internal stonework is painted white, except for the tower and chancel arches. The nave roof is a cambered truss design with pierced spandrels supported by angels, a design by Pugin. He also created the chancel screen with three panels and traceried lights on each side, and a painted inscription characteristic of his work. The chancel roof is of similar construction to the nave but is planked across the rafters and painted with stars. One bay over the altar is distinguished by quatrefoils and crosses. Sedilia located in the southeast window recess are also attributed to Pugin, as are the encaustic tiles that distinguish the chancel floor. Other furnishings by Pugin include the stone pulpit, font, and wooden rails surrounding it, the lectern, the coronae lucis of the nave (likely executed by Hardman), and the doors and door furniture, which are robust and well-timbered. Stained glass windows, including the east window and the east window of the south aisle (commemorating Henry Alford), are by Wailes, while emblems in other windows are by Hardman. A large Baroque memorial to William Leake, who died in 1687, is located under the tower.