Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is a Grade II* listed building located in Carlton Curlieu. The church features a 12th-century tower that was restored and partly rebuilt in 1685, with additional work completed in 1767 and further alterations and restorations carried out between 1880 and 1881. The structure is built of coursed rubble stone and ashlar with quoins, along with red brick that has stone dressings. The roofs are made of Swithland slate, with stone-coped gables and finials.

The church consists of a west tower, nave, and chancel under a single roof, with a north vestry and south porch. The unbuttressed tower has three stages; the lower two are constructed of coursed rubble stone. It features four 2-light bell openings with rounded arches, impost blocks, keystones, and very simple curving tracery. The cornice and parapet are adorned with corner pilasters topped by orbs, while the lower part is decorated with foliage. The nave has a rounded arch with zig-zag detailing in the soffit, chevron patterns on the arch, and roll moulding on the angles. Impost moulding and scalloped capitals are present, although the shafts are missing.

The nave and chancel are made of red brick with a stone plinth, and they include buttresses with set-offs and a cornice. There are five windows on the south side and four on the north side, dating from 1880, each consisting of two lights with simple geometric tracery. The 19th-century roof has five bays with crown posts and struts extending from the collars. The north vestry was rebuilt in 1880, and it features a 19th-century east window with intersected tracery and stained glass. The south porch is made of wood with open work on a stone plinth. The north window of the vestry contains fragments of medieval stained glass.

Inside, there is a monument dedicated to Sir John Bale, who died in 1621, and his wife. This monument is made of alabaster and marble and features two recumbent effigies on a table tomb, with the wife positioned behind and elevated. The aedicule behind the effigies has a central cartouche carved with the couple's coat of arms as cresting, and beneath it, their children are depicted in high relief. The base of the tomb is adorned with strapwork, shields, and inscriptions. Additionally, there is a Georgian Royal Arms painted on canvas.

On the north face of the tower parapet, there is an inscription that reads, "in the year MDCLXXXV the church and steeple was repaired by Geffrey Palmer Esq, son and heir of Sir Lewis Palmer of Carlton near Cottingham in the Country of Northampton, Baronet." The coat of arms is located in the center of this inscription. The work on the tower is attributed to Henry Dormer.