Church Of St Mary

Church of St Mary

This is a parish church of considerable antiquity, with fabric from the 12th to 17th centuries. The chancel was rebuilt around 1880, and the vestry was enlarged in 1914. The building is constructed of dressed coursed rubble with some ashlar and ashlar dressings, with plain tile and lead roofs.

The church comprises a tower with spire, nave, south aisle, south porch, north vestry and chancel. The nave has embattlements, and the east chancel and porch have coped gables with single ridge crosses. There is a single stack to the vestry. The building is buttressed throughout except for the tower.

The tower is of 12th-century date with 15th-century embattlements. It is set on a low chamfered plinth of three stages and topped with a 15th-century spire. The west wall of the tower has a single lancet and single rectangular light above, with four tie plates. The north side has a similar rectangular light and seven tie plates. The south side features a pointed arched doorway with a 17th-century plank and stud door, above which is a single lancet, a single rectangular light and a single clock face, with seven tie plates. The east side has a single clock face over the bell chamber and two tie plates. The bell chamber contains four 14th-century openings, each with two arched lights.

The north nave wall retains some 12th-century herringbone masonry and a blocked 12th-century doorway. To the left are two round arched 12th-century lights. The clerestory has a single crocketed pinnacle to the east and contains four 15th-century windows, each with two arched lights under a flat arch, hood moulds, remains of label stops and a continuous sill band, with a single tie plate.

The vestry projects from the north chancel wall, set on a chamfered plinth. Its north wall contains two 19th-century windows, each with two trefoil arched lights under a flat arch. The east wall has a chamfered doorway with a plank door. The east wall of the chancel is set on a low chamfered plinth and features a single large arched 14th-century restored five-light window with reticulated tracery and hood mould. The south chancel wall, on a similar plinth, has a single 14th-century two-light window with reticulated tracery and hood mould. To the left is a single 13th-century lancet, a pointed chamfered arched doorway, a single small arched blocked light and, on the far left, a single restored arched 13th-century window with three pointed arched lights and hood mould, with a continuous sill band forming a hood mould over the doorway.

The east wall of the south aisle has a single 14th-century arched three-light window with reticulated tracery, hood mould and human head label stops, the tracery further decorated with carved heads. Adjacent to this wall is a decorative slate headstone to William Marcer, dated 1792, by Winfield. The south wall has a single similar two-light 19th-century window with foliate carving. To the left is a single similar three-light 19th-century window, both with hood moulds and remains of label stops.

The gabled porch is to the left. It has a chamfered and moulded arched 19th-century entrance with a hood mould forming a sill band to the east wall and a band to the west wall. In the apex is a single niche with a carved figure and hood mould. The east wall contains two arched and cusped lights under a flat arch. The inner doorway is a 13th-century moulded arched opening with a single outer restored colonnette on each side with moulded capitals, hood mould and 19th-century decorative label stops. To the left is a single 17th-century two-light ashlar mullion window, and on the far left is a single corbel supporting a lead sundial. The clerestory corresponds to the north, though the single window on the right has ogee arched lights. There is no sill band.

Interior

The interior has a four-bay 14th-century nave arcade with octagonal columns and responds and moulded capitals, though the single central capital is decorated with nailhead motifs. The arches are double chamfered with a hood mould to the nave side bearing two human head label stops. The wide double chamfered tower arch has imposts and a hood mould with remains of label stops. Above is a blocked 12th-century round arched opening. The chancel arch is restored with double chamfering and octagonal responds with nailhead capitals and continuous nailhead imposts, with a hood mould.

The north chancel contains a doorway to the vestry and a trefoil arched opening above it. In the south chancel is a trefoil arched piscina, and the south wall of the aisle has a similar piscina. There is a small rectangular niche to the left of the east window of the south aisle wall. The east window of the aisle is flanked by single colonnettes, the arch over decorated with five foliate carved bosses.

The nave roof is of 16th-century date, restored in the 18th century, and inscribed "I T 1769". It is decorated with carved bosses. The aisle roof contains reused moulded beams with various inscriptions dated 1638. There are three benches with carved ends, one inscribed "1612 H", three 16th-century benches with carved poppyheads, and two further 17th-century benches. There are two chairs with 17th-century carved and inlaid backs. A 17th-century altar table in the south aisle has turned legs. A 19th-century alms box is decorated with blind tracery. A 13th-century octagonal font is supported on four hexagonal legs. The remains of the workings of a 17th-century clock are present, and there is a restored 18th-century shawm. In the tower is a plaque inscribed "1757" commemorating the church wardens of that date.