Church Of St Mary Magdalene

Church of St Mary Magdalene

Parish church dating from the 14th and 15th centuries, with restoration work carried out in 1874, 1884, and the 20th century. The building is constructed of dressed coursed rubble and ashlar with some brick, featuring plain tile roofs to the porch, nave and chancel, with lead roofing to the remainder. The church comprises a tower with spire, nave, north aisle, north porch, north vestry, south porch, south-west chapel and chancel. The gables are coped with a single ridge cross to the east chancel and porch.

The early 15th-century tower is of two stages, set on a deep plinth with parapet and the remains of four gargoyles to each side, with further single gargoyles at the angles. The angle buttresses, at their final set-off, are gabled and crocketed. Rising from each is a single pilaster strip with two tall blind trefoil arched panels and similar crocketed gable above. Above and set diagonally at each angle is a single similar pilaster terminating at the parapet. In the centre of each side are single similar taller pilasters rising from the first stage and terminating at the parapet; those on the north and south sides are broken by single clock faces. The tower is surmounted by a rectangular plinth with four rectangular openings on each side, supporting a squat embattled octagonal turret which has two rectangular openings to alternate sides, the remains of eight gargoyles, and a dwarf spire.

The west wall of the tower has a single arched restored 15th-century window with three lights both under and above a single transom and cusped panel tracery. To the left is a low projecting semi-circular stair turret with three rectangular lights above. Each side of the bell chamber has single arched and cusped lights under flat arches flanking the single pilasters. The west wall of the north aisle has a single 19th-century window with two arched and cusped lights under a flat arch. A lean-to roof projects over a red brick cellar. The buttressed north wall is set on a chamfered plinth and has a wooden porch enclosing the remainder, which has a moulded pointed arched doorway and to the left a single restored 14th-century window with two trefoil arched lights and tracery under a flat arch. The east wall has a single restored 14th-century window with two trefoil arched lights and mouchettes under a flat arch.

A large 20th-century brick and plain tile vestry is attached to the left of the porch and projects from the north chancel. The north wall of the chancel, enclosed by this vestry, has two early 14th-century trefoil arched lights with hood moulds and label stops and continuous sill band; to the left is an arched doorway. The angle buttressed east chancel is on a low chamfered plinth, with a single arched restored 14th-century three-light window with reticulated tracery, hood mould and label stops and continuous sill band. This sill band extends to the buttressed south chancel, which has a single restored 14th-century arched two-light window with reticulated tracery, hood mould and label stops. To the left is a single trefoil arched and cusped light with hood mould and label stops, and further left a single similar window but lower with single low transom. The south nave has two 14th-century two-light windows, each with trefoil arched and cusped lights under a flat arch.

The gabled porch has a double chamfered arched entrance. The side walls each have a single arched and cusped light under a flat arch. The inner doorway is also double chamfered and arched. To the left is the chapel, set on a chamfered plinth and buttressed, with a single restored 15th-century window with two cinquefoil arched lights under a flat arch. The west wall has a single similar restored window.

Interior

The interior features a two-bay late 14th-century nave arcade with double chamfered arches and a single octagonal column with moulded capital. The tower arch is double chamfered, with the inner order supported on corbels. The chancel arch is 19th-century, chamfered and moulded, with a 19th-century rood screen; the inner chamfer is supported on corbels. The nave-south chapel double chamfered arch and both the tower-south chapel and tower-north aisle double chamfered arches have their inner orders supported on corbels.

The south chancel wall has an arched piscina with inner trefoil arch, and an aumbry to the north wall. The north doorway has a hood mould and label stops. The east window of the south wall has a low sill forming a sedilia. A chair with carved back of uncertain date survives. The pulpit is a 19th-century ashlar piece with blind tracery. The font is of ashlar with a 19th-century pedestal and a 12th-century circular bowl.