Church Of St Mary

Church of St Mary

A parish church built over several centuries from the 13th to 16th centuries, with substantial restoration in 1898. The church is constructed of limestone ashlar and coursed limestone rubble, with lead, Collyweston and slate roofs. The plan comprises a west tower, nave, chancel, vestry and south porch. A south aisle was demolished in 1809.

The 13th-century west tower is in two stages with a chamfered plinth and stepped angle buttresses. It features a hollow moulded string course and an embattled parapet with crocketed angle pinnacles. A stone in the north wall bears a shield inscribed with a cross. The belfry stage contains a pair of louvred chamfered lancets to the south with matching surround, and a 2-light window with double chamfered reveals and chamfered mullion to the north. A large 5-light west window of 1898 is fitted with stepped lancets to the lower part and geometric tracery above.

The north nave wall has an offset and contains two 19th-century windows of 2 and 3 lights with cusped tracery. The blocked south wall contains a wide pointed archway of 14th-century date, which originally opened to the vanished south aisle. This archway has wave-moulded triple shafted reveals and head.

The 19th-century gabled vestry projects from the north wall, with a door and cusped Y-traceried window to the east. The chancel's north wall contains a blocked 2-light window matching that in the west wall of the nave. The east window of the chancel, also 19th-century, is of 3 lights with Y tracery and roll-moulded ribs. A reset 14th-century female head crowns the gable and bears a cross. The chancel south wall has a wide blocked opening.

The 19th-century south porch is gabled with setback buttresses and a chamfered plinth. It has side benches and a double chamfered rounded outer arch. The inner doorway is 16th-century, double-chamfered and round-headed, with run-out stops to the bases of the reveals.

The interior retains 2 bays of late 13th-century north arcade with quatrefoil quirked and filleted shafts and annular capitals decorated with nailhead. The arches are double-chamfered with hollow moulded hoods. To the south is a single 14th-century arcade bay with wave moulding on the exterior. The late 13th-century tower arch rests on rounded corbels and has a pointed double-chamfered head with a moulded string course running out from the imposts. The 13th-century chancel arch has engaged filleted shafted reveals with nailhead decoration matching the north arcade, and a double-chamfered pointed arch with moulded hood. An inserted 14th-century pointed arched doorway to the roof loft stairs is positioned to the left; the upper doorway has a 4-centred arched head.

In the south wall of the chancel, a panel of miscellaneous sculptures occupies the site of the sedilia. Most pieces date from the 13th and 14th centuries and include a praying male figure with seaweed carved background.

The chancel east window and west window were both created by W. E. Dixon and depict religious subjects including Christ in Majesty attended by saints and archangels. The 19th-century octagonal pulpit incorporates some 18th-century woodwork. A 14th-century octagonal font is richly carved with cusped blank tracery to the sides and stem, armorial shields and the initials AR. In the nave stands a cast iron tortoise stove inscribed 'Slow but sure combustion'.

The church contains several monuments. On the south nave wall is a brass plate depicting Sir Daniell Hardeby, died 1630, kneeling at a prie dieu opposite his wife and attended by their children, with a shield of arms above. Another Daniel Hardeby, died 1705, is commemorated by a white marble wall plaque beneath an escutcheon. In the chancel, a scrolled broken pedimented limestone wall plaque with fluted Doric pillars commemorates the Reverend Rowland Fox, died 1722, and is enriched with flowers, cherubs and an hourglass. A Neo-Classical wall tablet to members of the Bailey family, including Maria died 1804, features a gadrooned panel with triglyphs, cornice, paterae and a fluted urn.