Church Of St Mary

Church of St Mary

Parish Church. Originally 14th century, with significant additions in 1687 and largely rebuilt in 1853 by E. J. Willson of Lincoln, then restored in 1936. Constructed from coursed rubble with ashlar dressings and some rendering, with slate roofs topped by tiled caps on the tower. The building features ashlar coped gables with kneelers to the east chancel and three ridge finials. The church is buttressed throughout and stands on a shallow plinth in places. A string course runs beneath the east chancel window and around the south, west and north aisle walls, interrupted by the south porch and north door.

Plan and Layout

The church comprises a nave, north aisle, tower positioned over the east end of the north aisle, north vestry, chancel and south porch.

Western Elevation

The west end of the nave displays a 14-light arched window with flowing tracery, cusping, hood mould and label stops. The west end of the north aisle has a 3-light arched and traceried window with hood mould and label stops. The angle buttresses of the west wall rise above the roof line and terminate in decorated pinnacles, with a similar single buttress separating the nave and aisle.

North Aisle and Elevation

The north aisle contains a doorway with foliate decorated capitals extending to imposts with ogee arch, finial and label stops. Above this is a niche with damaged base and canopy decorated with crockets, cusping and two small heads. A slate wall tablet to Reverend John Mounsey, dated c.1827, is by R. Harston of Newark. The north aisle wall displays two 3-light arched and traceried windows with hood moulds and label stops. The buttresses rise above a gargoyled corbel table and terminate in decorated pinnacles.

Tower

The angle-buttressed tower, 14th century in origin and two stages in height, is rendered in places beneath the bell chamber. The north wall contains a small square-headed doorway with rectangular opening above and three further small rectangular lights. The rendering is dated 1936. The east wall has a rectangular light on the first floor with the date 1687 inscribed above. On the ground floor is a damaged slate tablet to Reverend John Staunton, dated c.1851, by E. Marshal of Newark. The south wall contains a rectangular light. Four 2-light arched openings serve the bell chamber with tracery and cusping, fitted with hood moulds and label stops to the south and north. A gargoyled corbel table runs along each side, with two larger gargoyles on each face.

Vestry and Chancel

Between the tower and vestry is a small arched window. Steps descend to a doorway with depressed arch in the west wall of the vestry. The north wall of the vestry contains an arched single-light window with tracery and cusping, and an arched doorway. The east wall has an arched 2-light window with cusping, hood mould and label stops.

The east chancel window is arched with 3 lights, featuring tracery with cusping and hood mould and label stops above. An angle buttress stands to the south.

The south chancel has an arched doorway flanked by two single 2-light arched windows with tracery, cusping, hood moulds and label stops. A gargoyled corbel table runs along the wall.

South Nave and Porch

The south nave contains three 3-light arched windows with hood moulds and label stops. The centre window has flowing tracery, while the outer windows display reticulated tracery with multifoils. One of the buttresses, positioned one window in from the east, rises above the gargoyled corbel table and forms a flue with embattled parapet.

The gabled, coped and buttressed south porch has a ridge cross. A central moulded arch is supported on engaged columns with moulded capitals, fitted with hood mould and label stops. Both east and west walls contain single ashlar quatrefoils contained within rectangular panels. The interior porch doorway has a billet-decorated arch.

Interior

The nave is separated from the north aisle by an arcade of three bays. Each bay has a 14th-century octagonal pier with moulded capitals and bases supporting double chamfered arches. The western arch has a label stop to the nave side. To the west of the westernmost arch is a small chamfered arch rising to the level of the capitals. A triple chamfered tower arch spans the east end, though the tower is now blocked.

The double chamfered chancel arch is supported on octagonal engaged columns with hood mould and label stops, and features a traceried screen dated 1519. The north aisle end, and the south and north chancel walls, each contain a single arched doorway. A piscina is located in the south chancel wall.

Fittings and Monuments

The 12th-century circular font is decorated with arcading. The north aisle contains two 16th-century carved oak benches of unusual design. A 19th-century circular cast iron heating stove by Gurney Patent stands in the nave, inscribed "Ventillating Coy Gurney Patent The Warming".

Monumental inscriptions and monuments include: on the north chancel wall, a 1738 monument with broken pediment and central urn to Gilbert and Elizabeth Charlton, Gilbert and Harvey Staunton, Lettice and Elizabeth; on the south chancel wall, an ashlar and slate monument to Anne Staunton, Will and Eliz Holbrooke, dated 1685, with skull and cross bones on the apron, brackets supporting a segmental podium with decorated shield; on the blocked tower wall, a monument by Richard Westmacott to Job Brough, Elizabeth Brough and their two sons Job Charlton Brough and Francis John, dated 1811, with crown decorated with shield and carved bird; on the north nave wall, an inset tablet to Antonius Staunton, 1560, and a monument with broken pediment to Jane Degge and Harvey Degge her son, 1757; on the east wall of the north aisle, a monument with broken segmental podium and coloured decorated shield on apron to Gilbert and Anne Charlton, 1731, by James Wallis of Newark, and an inset ashlar tablet dated 1732 to Anne Brough; a particularly fine monument to Job Staunton Charlton, 1807, features a large standing female figure carved in relief above the inscription, surmounted by a shaped podium with coloured and decorated shield and small carved animal head.

The north aisle also contains several tombs and floor monuments. Against the east wall is an early 14th-century knight in sunk relief with a dog at his feet and two shields in a band over the body. A 13th-century coffin has an incised stylised cross in the lid with interlaced arch decoration around the sides; another damaged example has a stylised cross. Adjacent to the north wall is a 15th-century tomb topped with a damaged lady in a wimple, the base decorated with shields and Tudor roses in cusped panels. Additional monuments include the damaged lower half of a knight and an early 14th-century damaged cross-legged knight with intricate chain mail carving. A stone in the floor bears a shield carved in sunk relief, dated 1582.