Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is a parish church dating back to around 1380. The tower was built, and the nave extended between 1480 and 1486, with a substantial restoration taking place in 1882. The church is constructed of coursed limestone rubble, limestone ashlar, and red brick with ashlar dressings, all covered by lead roofs.

The church comprises a western tower, a nave, a chancel, and a south porch. The three-stage tower is built of C15 ashlar, featuring a quatrefoil plinth, moulded string courses, and a battlemented parapet. Stepped corner buttresses are present. The belfry stage has two C14 openings with ogee heads above the lights and quatrefoils. A deeply moulded pointed doorway is set into the west side, with cusped spandrels. Above this is a wide five-light C15 window, featuring a four-centred arched head, cusped ogee heads to the lights, and panel tracery. A niche is positioned on the north side, containing a nodding ogee hood and a later seated figure of the Virgin and Child. A small, ogee-headed rectangular light is also on the north side.

The brick nave has stepped stone buttresses, an ashlar plinth, a chamfered string course, and a C19 moulded cornice. A continuously moulded pointed doorway is present, above which is a curious corbel carving depicting a crouched figure. There are three-light windows, one with a C19 head and another C15 window with a four-centred arch head. A blocked pointed brick arch is found in the north side of the chancel. The chancel is constructed of coursed limestone rubble and contains a C15 three-light window with cusped heads to the lights and panel tracery. The C15 three-light east window also has panel tracery and ogee heads to the lights, having been recut in the C19. A matching three-light window is on the south side, alongside a small, blocked priest's doorway and a blocked window opening. There are two further three-light C15 windows with shallow four-centred arched heads on the south side of the nave. A C20 chimney and boiler room are also present.

The gabled brick porch has a double-chamfered outer arch leading to stone bases, flanked by single buttresses. Large stones are incorporated into the side walls of the porch, and a further two-light window is set within.

Inside, the tall C15 tower arch is continuously moulded with a four-centred head and octagonal reveals, leading to a sexpartite tower vault. A moulded string course runs around the nave. The four-centred chancel arch has two orders of mouldings. A triangular-headed piscina is located in the south wall of the nave. A small C15 blocked doorway is found in the north side of the chancel, along with a blocked opening to the south side. An ogee-trefoil headed piscina is found in the south side of the chancel, accompanied by C15 corbels and three statue brackets situated on the reveal of the south east nave window. C19 stained glass is also present. Fittings include a Royal Coat of Arms dating from 1713 and an unusual tall octagonal font with a splayed bowl and traceried stem.