Church Of St Mary The Virgin

Church of St Mary the Virgin

This is a parish church of 13th and 14th-century date, located on the north west side of Main Street in Burrough on the Hill. The tower was restored in 1629. The chancel was rebuilt by H. Goddard and Son in 1867. The tower, north aisle and part of the south aisle were rebuilt by C. Kirk in 1878. The interior was restored by H. Goddard in 1860.

The building is constructed of coursed and squared ironstone with limestone ashlar dressings and lead roofs. It comprises a west tower with spire, nave with clerestory, north aisle, chancel, south aisle and south porch.

The west tower has three stages with two pairs of angle buttresses with setoffs to the west. It has a chamfered plinth and three chamfered string courses, a moulded eaves cornice with masks and a gargoyle, and an openwork parapet with ballflower decoration. The first stage has a 13th-century lancet to the west. The second stage has a similar lancet to the south with hood mould. The bell stage has a datestone inscribed 'TB 1629' to the south west. The north and east sides have clock dials inscribed in memory of G. A. and W. C. Burnaby, 1878. The north and west sides have a double lancet bell opening with central shaft and hood mould. The set-back octagonal spire has a single low tier of large gabled lucarnes with crosses and double lancet openings.

The clerestory has three untraceried single lancets with double chamfered openings on each side. The north aisle has four bays with diagonal east buttress, west angle buttress and three intermediate buttresses. The north side has a slightly off-centre chamfered doorway with hood mould, flanked by single untraceried double lancets with hood moulds. Beyond to the west is a chamfered 19th-century doorway with hood mould. The west end has an untraceried double lancet with flat head. The east end has a double lancet with Y tracery and hood mould.

The chancel has two bays with deep moulded and chamfered plinth and coved eaves with masks. The north side has a Decorated double lancet with hood mould, flanked to the right by a 13th-century chamfered low side lancet. The east end has two angle buttresses, sill band and coped gable with a Decorated triple lancet and hood mould. The south side has to the west a restored small round-headed lancet, flanked to the east by a Decorated double lancet with hood mould.

The three-bay south aisle has chamfered plinth and two diagonal gabled buttresses. The south side has to the east of the porch an untraceried ogee triple lancet, and to the west of the porch a similar 19th-century double lancet, both with flat heads and hood moulds. The east end has a round-headed triple lancet with flat head and hood mould. The west end has a restored Decorated ogee double lancet with hood mould.

The south porch dates to the 14th century and has a coped gable with finial and heavily moulded ogee doorway with multiple octagonal responds and a pair of wooden gates.

The interior has traceried panelled war memorial benches of 1919 and a common rafter roof. The 13th-century south doorway is double rebated and moulded with hood mould and double octagonal shafts. The tower arch is 13th-century with double chamfered and rebated moulding and moulded octagonal responds. The tower chamber has a 19th-century stained glass west window.

The north and south arcades, 13th-century, have three bays with round piers and responds with round bases and capitals and double chamfered and rebated arches, with hood moulds, mask stops and crests. The roof is low pitched with moulded ridge inscribed '1651 RP JA GW 1657'. Moulded arch braces with bosses rest on large mask corbels. The north aisle has an eastern window with stained glass of 1908 and an east window with stained glass of 1886. A 19th-century roof with arch braces is also present. The south aisle east end has a stained glass window of late 19th-century date by O'Connor. The south side has a 13th-century cusped piscina to the east. The eastern window has stained glass of 1906. The western window has stained glass of late 19th-century date. The west end window has stained glass of 1905. The roof has arch braces and wall shafts on wooden corbels.

The chancel has a double chamfered and rebated arch with octagonal responds, hood mould and mask stops of 13th-century date, and a sill band. The north side has two late 19th-century stained glass windows. The east end has a 20th-century panelled wooden reredos and an east window with shafts and hood mould and stained glass by O'Connor of 1867. The south side has two stained glass windows of 1872 and 1883.

The font is 13th-century, with a clustered stem of ten shafts with dogtooth between them, and a tapered round bowl with blind arcading, masks and stiff leaf decoration, and vine trail frieze. Fittings of 1860 include plain pine benches, a traceried octagonal oak pulpit and matching prayer desk. There is a 19th-century brass and iron lectern. The Gothic organ case dates to 1908.

Memorials include a mid-15th-century chest tomb to William and Margaret de Stockden, now divided into two pieces. To the north is a chest with shields and a large male effigy. To the south is a chest with fleurons and a large female effigy. There is a scrolled Classical marble tablet with winged skull to the Cheseldyn family of 1691. A Classical marble tablet dates to 1814. Slate tablets date to 1755 and 1867. There are two 19th-century brasses and three 20th-century brasses to the Peake family, two of them with medals. A brass of 1917 is also present.