Church Of St Mary

Church of St Mary

Parish church of the 12th to 15th centuries. The spire was restored in 1680 and again in the 19th century. A vestry was added in 1862 and a south porch in 1903. The church was re-pewed in 1848, re-roofed in 1892 and 1897, and underwent restoration with renewed windows in 1897.

The building is constructed of coursed rubble and coursed squared rubble with ashlar dressings. It features crenellated parapets, coped gables, and a moulded eaves band, with lead roofs. The plan comprises a west tower, north and south aisles, an adjoining mausoleum, nave, chancel, vestry, and south porch.

The west tower dates from the 12th, 13th, and 14th centuries. It is in three stages on a moulded plinth with three string courses. To the west are a pair of clasp buttresses, the southern one also forming a stair enclosure, with three setoffs. A buttress to the south-east is engaged with the aisle. The first stage has two stair lights to the south and a transomed 13th-century lancet to the west, together with a tablet of 1979. The second stage has four 14th-century double lancet bell openings. The third stage contains a blocked round-headed triple opening with round shafts on the south side holding a clock, with similar openings to the west and north and the remains of another to the east, also with a clock. An octagonal broach spire rises above with eight elaborate crocketed pinnacles with shafts, four round lights above them, and a finial with a large weathercock.

The north aisle dates from the 13th and 15th centuries and was restored in the 19th century. It comprises five bays with a crenellated parapet. The north side has a buttress at the west end and three intermediate buttresses, all gabled. To the east are three 15th-century chamfered square-headed openings with cusped triple lancets. To the west is a projecting five-sided Ward Mausoleum with four moulded lancets, and further west is a 14th-century double lancet with Y-tracery, hood mould, and mask stops.

The nave clerestory dates from the 14th and 15th centuries and comprises five bays. On each side are five Tudor-arched chamfered reveals with cusped double lancets.

The vestry has a crenellated parapet. To its east is a pointed door and a double lancet with Y-tracery.

The chancel dates from the 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries and comprises two bays. The north side is blank. The east end has a restored 14th-century triple lancet with intersecting tracery and chamfered reveal. The south side has a central round-headed priest's door of the 12th century with imposts and hood mould. To the west is a 15th-century chamfered square-headed reveal with double lancet. To the east is a 19th-century Tudor-arched reveal with hood mould and 14th-century style double lancet, beneath which is an undated Classical-style tablet with cornice and fluted columns.

The south aisle dates from the 14th and 15th centuries and was restored in 1833 and later. It has a pair of diagonal buttresses (the eastern one inscribed 'CPP/MP/OP'), two 19th-century intermediate gabled buttresses. The east end has a 20th-century four-centred arched opening with a 15th-century style triple lancet. The south side has four late 13th-century double lancets with Y-tracery, partly restored.

The gabled south porch dates from the late 13th century and was restored in the 19th century. It has a chamfered plinth and plain tile roof. To the south is a chamfered and rebated doorway with filleted shafts and simple moulded bases and capitals. The gable is coped with gabled kneelers and a cross. The interior has stone benches and an 18th-century principal rafter roof with tenoned purlins. The inner south door, late 13th century and restored, has a roll-moulded head and hood mould with mask stops, filleted responds with simple moulded capitals and bases.

The interior is notable for several features. The nave north arcade dates from the early 14th century and comprises five bays with four round piers and matching responds. These have stepped square plinths with waterholding bases, ringed capitals, and chamfered and rebated arches with hood moulds and mask stops, all restored. The south arcade dates from the mid-14th century and has four octagonal piers with matching responds, simple moulded bases and capitals, coved and roll-moulded arches with hood moulds and mask stops, and is restored. The clerestory has leaded windows. The roof above is a 19th-century kingpost roof with plain corbels.

The 13th-century tower arch is double-chamfered and rebated, dying into restored moulded imposts, with nailhead bands and mask corbels. A 19th-century traceried panelled timber screen stands beneath it. The tower chamber has patterned glass in the west window.

The north aisle has a pointed recess with iron railing to the domed mausoleum to the Ward family (1788–1857), which contains patterned stained glass windows and a central Gothic Revival shrine with plinth and inscription. To the east is a window with patterned stained glass. The south aisle, dating from the 14th century, has four 20th-century stained glass windows to the south and forms a Lady Chapel at its east end. The east end contains a moulded altar of circa 1325 with turned stone legs, flanked by single aumbries with 20th-century doors and single brackets above with 20th-century figures. To the south is a restored 14th-century piscina with keeled shafts. The east window has stained glass of 1891. Both north and south aisles have 19th-century lean-to roofs.

The chancel arch is 14th century, restored, double-chamfered and rebated with octagonal responds. A Perpendicular timber screen with painted panels stands beneath it, dating from 1939. The chancel north side has two doorways and a triangular-headed aumbry with 20th-century doors to the east. The east window has 19th-century stained glass. The south side has a window with stained glass by Heaton, Butler and Bayne of 1871, dedicated to Louisa Blanche Foljambe. The chancel roof is a low-pitched 19th-century kingpost roof with plain corbels and curved brackets.

Fittings include a 15th-century octagonal font with a base of three steps and a quatrefoil band, topped by a 19th-century crocketed conical cover. There is a 19th-century traceried panelled octagonal timber pulpit and a 19th-century brass eagle lectern. A 17th-century communion table with bulbous turned legs and chip carving survives, as does a detached timber panel inscribed 'This is the crisning and churching seat ANNO DOM 1714 J H/ G W/ C S/ L B Church Wardens.' Moulded 19th-century oak benches with traceried panelled ends are present, together with 20th-century panelled oak benches and a 19th-century desk. A 19th-century Gothic altar rail completes the fittings.

Monuments and memorials include an 18th-century marble wall monument with an oval cartouche and crest of books with skull and cherubs, with Latin inscription. There is a Classical oval tablet to the Bristowe family of 1762, a decorated-style cartouche on plinth with scrolled arms, and a tablet with shouldered panel, cherubs, and ball finial to William Villa Real of 1759. Four 19th-century marble and slate tablets, marble and slate war memorials of 1918 and 1945, a single 20th-century marble tablet, and three brasses of the 19th and 20th centuries complete the interior.