Church Of St Mary Magdalene

Church of St Mary Magdalene

Parish church of mixed date. The building contains work from the 11th century through to the 20th century, with a major chancel rebuild in 1873 and a 20th-century boiler room. It is constructed of coursed and squared limestone rubble with ashlar dressings and is roofed in lead and Collyweston slate.

The church comprises a western tower, nave with clerestory, north aisle, chancel and south porch.

The 3-stage tower dates to the 13th century and features a plinth, chamfered and roll-moulded string courses, and a battlemented parapet with angle chutes. Above rises a recessed octagonal ashlar spire with 2-light lucarnes in the principal directions, a floriate knopped top and weather vane. The 2-light belfry openings have heavy Y tracery with chamfered surrounds and hood moulds. On the south side of the ground stage is a blank pointed opening and a reset 18th-century grave slab. The second stage has a narrow rectangular light. The west window is 16th-century work, comprising 2 lights with cusped heads, a triangular head and hood mould, set within a roll and wave-moulded surround. The west window of the north aisle is similar. A 20th-century boiler house stands between the aisle and tower.

The squared rubble north aisle has a moulded parapet, 3 stepped buttresses with bell-moulded bases, a 13th-century pointed doorway in chamfered surround, and a 3-light 14th-century window with ogee heads to the lights, flat head and hood mould. The east wall contains a 19th-century 2-light window with pointed heads and a quatrefoil. The 14th-century ashlar clerestory has a moulded parapet with 3 two-light windows featuring cusped ogee heads and moulded pointed surrounds.

The chancel, rebuilt around 1873, is roofed in Collyweston slate and contains 2-light windows in the north wall and 2 matching windows in the south wall, all with cusped heads and trefoils. The matching east window is of 3 lights with 2 quatrefoils to the head.

The south wall of the nave has 3 tall stepped buttresses, a chamfered string course and moulded parapet. It features a late 13th-century 3-light window with intersecting tracery and hood mould, and an early 13th-century 2-light window with rounded heads to the tall lights. A matching clerestory is above.

The 14th-century gabled porch has a pointed outer doorway with moulded octagonal capitals, side benches, single 2-light ogee-headed side windows, and a ribbed roof. The inner doorway is late 12th-century work, round-headed, with dogtooth to the inner chamfer.

Interior

The interior contains a 3-bay 12th-century north arcade with circular columns, responds and abaci. The arches are double-chamfered and round, now bearing 19th-century painted texts. The arcade was clearly inserted into an earlier wall, which retains 11th-century herringbone masonry. Above the arcade is the scar of an earlier roof.

The late 13th-century triple-chamfered tower arch dies to the reveals. A 14th-century double-chamfered chancel arch has octagonal responds and embattled imposts. To the north of this arch is a 14th-century niche with cusped ogee head and pinnacles. In the eastern reveal of the easternmost south nave window is another 14th-century niche with a trefoil head and ballflower decoration to the underside of the base. Beneath the window cill is a hacked-back piscina. High on the north side is a blocked doorway to the roof loft.

The nave and aisle roofs are 16th-century work, restored in the 19th century, retaining moulded principals, angel supporters and floriate bosses. In the chancel is a 19th-century double-chamfered arch to the vestry and a 19th-century roof supported on contemporary human head corbels. The east window contains 19th-century stained glass.

A 16th-century octagonal font has quatrelobe panels bearing the symbols of the passion and other devices, with a frieze of flowers and other tendrils around the top.

Among the monuments is a repositioned brass plaque to Elizabeth Lack (died 1661) in the north aisle, engraved with a coat of arms.