Church Of St Mary

Church of St Mary

This is a parish church in coursed and squared rubble and dressed stone, with gabled and lean-to slate roofs. The building ranges in date from the 12th century through to the 15th century, with a vestry added in 1839. It was restored in 1868 by Scott, and again in 1877 and 1923.

The church comprises a west tower, nave, north and south aisles, organ chamber, chancel, vestry, and south porch.

The west tower dates to the 14th and mid-15th centuries and has two stages. It features a moulded plinth, string course, eaves band and plain parapet with four pinnacles. Four pairs of corner buttresses with six setoffs support the tower. The first stage contains a moulded doorway to the west with clustered shafts and hood mould, above which sits a restored triple lancet with geometrical tracery and hood mould. The second stage has a carved panel to the south, dated to the 13th century and decorated with figures. The west side contains a square opening. Clock faces appear on the north, south and west sides. Above these, each side has a double bell opening with segmental head.

The clerestory dates to the 15th century and was restored in the 19th century. It has four bays with a crenellated parapet and, on each side, four Tudor arched double lancets with hood moulds.

The north aisle dates to the 14th century. At its west end is a 14th-century double lancet with intersecting tracery and hood mould. The north side has three buttresses and, to the east, two 14th-century triple lancets with intersecting tracery. To the west is a 14th-century cove moulded doorway and beyond it a similar triple lancet. All openings have hood moulds.

The south aisle also dates to the 14th century and comprises four bays. At its east end is a 19th-century geometrical triple lancet. The south side has three gabled buttresses and three triple lancets of similar design. The west end has a similar double lancet. All openings have hood moulds. Above the south porch is a 14th-century niche with a nodding ogee head.

The organ chamber is a lean-to structure dating to circa 1875. It has a corner buttress and, to the north, a blocked lancet.

The chancel dates to the 14th century and comprises two bays. To the north is a gabled buttress. To the east is a late 14th-century triple lancet with square headed reveal and hood mould. The east end has two pairs of gabled corner buttresses and a 19th-century five-light geometrical lancet with moulded reveal and hood mould. Above this is a crocketed ogee-headed niche, and above again, a round window in a square panel. The south side has a buttress and, to the east, a 14th-century triple lancet with reticulated tracery and hood mould.

The gabled vestry has a gable stack and pointed door to the east. Its south side has a chamfered double lancet with wooden Y tracery. Openings have hood moulds.

The south porch dates to 1930 but is in 15th-century style. It has two diagonal buttresses, a moulded parapet and a doorway with round shafts. On each side is a double lancet with hood mould.

Interior

The nave arcades date to the early 14th century and comprise five bays with an additional half bay to the west. Each side has four octagonal piers with square plinths, moulded bases and capitals. The arches are double chamfered and rebated with hood moulds and mask stops. Seven 14th-century moulded corbels support the 19th-century strutted principal rafter roof.

The tower arch dates to the 13th century and is cove moulded and rebated, with a 20th-century glazed screen. The tower chamber contains a 19th-century stained glass window.

The north aisle's east end has a restored 14th-century triple lancet with intersecting tracery. The south aisle's east end has memorial stained glass from 1898 and, to the left, an opening to a rood stair. The south side has, to the east, an ogee-headed 14th-century piscina and two stained glass memorial windows dated 1893 (by Kempe) and 1909.

The chancel arch is moulded and dates to the 14th century, with half-round responds and a canopied traceried screen from 1924. The north side of the chancel has, to the west, an arch to the organ chamber and above it the remains of a 14th-century lancet with reticulated tracery. To the east is a 14th-century tomb recess, to its right a tall 14th-century Easter Sepulchre with ogee-headed blind arcade and niches with moulded surround. The east end has a sill band and a stained glass window from 1873, flanked by single 14th-century mask brackets. A 20th-century panelled reredos dates to 1924. The south side has, to the east, a 14th-century double piscina with Decorated traceried head, and to its right, a 14th-century ogee-headed triple sedilia, with a stained glass window from 1909 to the right again.

Fittings include a late 19th-century octagonal ashlar pulpit and font, carved stalls and desks from 1924, and late 19th-century benches and lectern. Memorials comprise a corniced marble wall tablet from 1769, two marble and slate tablets from the 19th century, and a framed war memorial panel dated circa 1920.