Church Of St Mary

WILLOUGHBY WATERLEYS MAIN STREET (East Side) SP59 SE 4/69 Church of St. Mary 11.1.55

GV II* Parish Church. Partly C13, though most of its dateable features are C14, or renewed in a C14 style during thorough restoration work in 1875. Rubble or cobble construction, with leaded nave and aisle roofs and Swithland slate to chancel. Tower however is of coursed and squared rubble. West tower nave and north aisle, chancel. West tower of three stages with plinth and angle buttresses. Paired pointed lights to bell chamber and 2-tier west window, renewed. Embattled parapet. Buttressed south wall with windows renewed in reticulated tracery. The middle window has ball-flower decoration in hoodmould. The chancel is entirely of 1875, steeply roofed with ridge cresting and cross finials to east and west coped gables. Door and 2-light window to south, 3-light east window in C14 style. Small lean-to vestry to north. North aisle is buttressed with small steeply gabled porch enclosing early C14 doorway with double hollow chamfered jambs. Decorated style windows, and a central window originally of the C15, with a stilted hoodmould. Inside late C13 arch to tower, roughly worked with heavy inner chamfer springing from corbels. North arcade of 4 bays, largely C14. Octagonal shafts and abaci support double chamfered arches which have outer hoodmould with label stop heads, but the east and west responds are keeled, and apparently earlier. The arcade does not run up to the east wall of the nave and a small 2 centred archway cuts through the last solid section of wall. Chancel arch of 1875 springs from stumpy corbel shafts. C15 nave roof: moulded tiebeams have central bosses carved as faces and the braces spring from stone corbels forming a series of placid or grotesque heads. Chancel of 1875 with sedilia and piscina in Decorated style. Canted wagon roof. Reredos of 1919, wood with carved figures. The other furnishings both here and in the body of the Church date from the restoration and include encaustic floor tiles, a wood pulpit, pews and screens to west tower and vestry, these in a heavy gothick style. Stained glass: east window may be c1840, replaced. On a geometrically patterned background is superimposed an illustration of the Good Shepherd. Central north nave window has glass of 1913, in a traditional painted style, darkly coloured main figures, but white and yellow angels in the upper lights. C13 font has shallow chamfered round basin on tall cylindrical base.

Listing NGR: SP5754092472