Blyth Priory Church of Saint Mary and Saint Martin

This Benedictine priory church was founded by Roger de Builli in 1088. The surviving fabric dates from the late 11th century, with substantial work from the early 13th century, circa 1300, circa 1400, and the late 15th century. Originally a cruciform building, the transepts and five apses were blocked off in the 15th century and demolished in the mid-16th century. The church was restored by Fowler in 1885, with various 20th-century restorations including work to the bell chamber in 1929–30. Construction is of ashlar and brick with lead roofs and a segmental stone-coped parapet at the east end.

Structure

The church comprises a tower, nave, north and south aisles with tribunes and clerestories, and a south porch. The crossing, north and south transepts (each with an apsidal east chapel), the chancel ending in an apse, and straight-ended chapels have all been demolished.

Tower

The late 15th-century tower of two stages has angle buttresses and a chamfered base with two moulded string courses above. The central west doorway is arched with moulded jambs and arch, the inner order decorated with fleurons. Above runs a hoodmould decorated with worn crockets rising to a crocketed pinnacle with decorated finial. A slightly projecting canopy sits above this. The outer order of the jambs supports single slender flat piers with set-offs, decorated with blind tracery and topped with crocketed pinnacles and finials that terminate at the canopy level.

Above the doorway is an arched three-light window divided by a single transom and three mullions. Below the transom is reticulated tracery; above, both reticulated and panel tracery appear. The window has a hoodmould and label stops, flanked on either side by single niches with ogee arches topped with crocketed pinnacles. Rising from the springing of these arches are single small slim piers with worn decorated capitals. Above the window is a similar niche, and above that a single square light. Six small stair lights punctuate the tower walls.

The four large arched bell chamber openings each contain four arched lights surmounted by a further four arched lights with tracery, finished with a hoodmould, finial and label stops that rise to single gargoyles. The tower top is embattled with central and corner crocketed pinnacles. The merlons are connected by single openwork crocketed and cusped arches.

North Aisle

The north aisle west wall, set on a shallow plinth with slim rectangular set-back buttresses, has a brick arched opening leading to a cellar doorway. Between this wall and the tower buttress stands an ashlar lean-to with ashlar roof—remnants of a former spiral stair turret.

The north aisle wall has a corbel table to the three eastern bays and traces of the cloisters. Four large buttresses punctuate the wall, the western one topped with a flue. The two westernmost bays are set on a shallow plinth with remnants of a sill band. The three bays to the west each contain a single small round-headed arched window in a deep recess. The second bay from the east has one similar arched window and a small single flat-headed window replacing an arched one. The easternmost bay has a similar flat-headed window in an arched opening and a single similar arched window. There is a second founder's tomb with decorated arch and a blocked arch now containing a doorway.

At tribune level are five windows, each with three arched lights under a flat head. In the clerestorey are six arched windows. Above these, supporting the roof, runs a corbel table.

The east wall has a central moulded arch supported on compound piers of rectangular and segmental moulding with worn capitals. This leads to a blocked-off bay of the nave with vaulted ceiling and single boss, showing evidence of the once-internal round piers and volute capitals. The north and south walls of this bay are blocked, the north with brick. On either side of the arch are 20th-century brick refaced walls with some rendering.

South Aisle

The south aisle wall is buttressed and set on a plinth. The parapet is embattled with seven gargoyles beneath. A sill band runs along the wall, interrupted by the porch. Five arched windows each have recently restored three-light intersecting tracery with hoodmoulds and label stops.

Between the fourth and fifth windows to the west stands the circa 1200 buttressed porch. This has an embattled, gabled parapet with three crocketed pinnacles and single gargoyles on its east and west walls. The central moulded arch is supported on either side by single alternating pairs of colonnettes and columns with worn and restored crocket capitals. Above the guttering, which follows the line of the gable, is a sundial. The inner arched doorway has on either side single colonnettes and single columns supporting a double order of nailhead decoration. The double doors feature blind tracery. To the west is an arched doorway with hoodmould over.

There are six arched windows in the clerestorey, the easternmost blocked. Above, supporting the roof, runs a corbel table. The west wall of the south aisle has angle buttresses and a parapet with a band terminating at the large five-light arched window with panel tracery, hoodmould and label stops.

Interior: Arcade and Vaulting

The nave and aisles are separated by five-bay arcades. The piers have square cores with a flat projection to each side and a further flat projection to the aisle sides. The other three sides each have a single demi-column on a rectangular plinth. The slender columns facing the nave once rose to the roof; they now support the circa 1230 quadripartite vaulted ceiling with narrow ribs and four remaining bosses. The capitals of the larger columns are decorated with primitive volutes and a single central tongue. Some column bases are decorated. The arches have two steps.

At tribune level a string course runs around the columns. The tribune openings are large with two-stepped arches supported by imposts. The northern openings contain three 17th-century style windows. Each clerestorey window has an outer order of columns. The blocked north-eastern bay has a grille in the east corner. In the blocked east wall is an arch that once led to the choir. There is a double-chamfered tower arch.

Interior: Aisles

The north aisle has crude depressed transverse arches and crude groined vaults; the easternmost bay is blocked off. A blocked arch in the west wall once led to a spiral staircase.

In the late 13th century the south aisle was widened. There is a double-chamfered arch leading to the tower and a blocked arch in the west wall that once led to a spiral staircase. The blocked east wall has a two-bay opening that once led to the transept, with moulded arches and a central octagonal pier with moulded capital. The northern, restored respond has square shafts with a demi-column; the south also has a carved head and moulded capital to the inner shaft.

Interior: Fittings and Screens

The 15th-century south aisle screen with tracery and cusping is vaulted on either side. This and the 15th-century nave screen have painted panels. A further 15th-century traceried screen separates the organ from the south aisle.

The 17th-century font is decorated with cherubs' heads and has a Jacobean-style cover. Panelling in the south-east end of the aisle is said to be preserved from the old pews and is dated 1656. The decoration corresponds to that on the 17th-century pulpit. A 17th-century oak table stands in the south aisle. In the nave is a 15th-century wooden alms box.

Interior: Paintings and Monuments

Scant remnants of a wall painting survive on the pulpitum. In the south aisle hangs a painting attributed to Fra Bartolomeo, circa 1490, of Saint Mary Magdalene.

On the north wall is a large, fine and elaborate monument to Edward Mellish, 1703, by John Hancock. This comprises the figure of Mellish reclining upon a chest tomb with his head resting upon one hand. Above is the inscription with elaborate carved drapery. Ionic columns support a segmental pediment with a central carved shield.

Also in the north aisle are a coffin slab with worn cross and another rather more worn example. In the tower is a coffin slab with foliated cross, circa 1300. Beside the north wall of the south aisle is a damaged recumbent knight in full armour with cylindrical helmet and visor, circa 1240.

In the nave is a monument of 1772 to Catherine Hornby and Thomas Judson Gent. This has a decoratively carved cherub's head on the apron with an urn and swag flanked by single torches on the crown, and is by J. Wood.