Church Of St Mary

Church of St Mary

Parish church with 12th-century origins. The building was substantially rebuilt around 1300, then underwent restoration in 1862 and 1890. The west tower was destroyed by fire in 1912 and subsequently rebuilt. The church is constructed of coursed sandstone rubble with ashlar dressings, beneath a slate roof featuring decorative ridge tiles, gable-end parapets, and a cross finial at the east end.

The church comprises a west tower, a continuous four-bay nave with a north transept and south porch, and a single-bay chancel.

The west tower stands in two stages above a plinth with intermediate strings. The lower stage contains a lancet in the south and west elevations and a pointed chamfered south doorway. The belfry stage has square louvred bell chamber openings beneath round relieving arches, with a clockface on the south side. Above rises a pyramidal roof with overhanging eaves, a finial, and a weathervane.

The nave dates from circa 1300 and was extended to the west in 1912. The north elevation displays two pairs of 19th-century cusped lancets. The south elevation has buttresses with offsets flanking the easternmost bay, three pairs of 19th-century cusped lancets, the remains of a wall memorial at the eastern end, and a brick chimney east of the westernmost bay. The north transept contains a pair of original cusped lancets at the north end and in the east side elevation.

The south porch was rebuilt in 1865 incorporating much 15th-century woodwork. It is gabled and timber-framed on a rubble plinth with ashlar coping. It features large wall-posts, broad cambered tie-beams with moulded arch-braces forming pointed inner and outer archways, and an intermediate moulded truss. The side elevations have two rows of four panels, with lower panels boarded and upper panels fitted with glazed cusped pointed openings. The south doorway has a 19th-century chamfered pointed arch.

The chancel was rebuilt in 1890. It contains a three-light east window with a hoodmould and returns, a reused cusped lancet from circa 1300 in the north side, and in the south elevation a 14th-century square-headed window of two ogee-arched lights with a 19th-century chamfered pointed doorway below. Attached to the south elevation is an early 19th-century wall memorial to the Bromage family by R Davis.

Interior

The south wall of the transept retains a 14th-century recess with double hollow chamfered jambs, which probably once led to the rood loft stairs. The nave has a 14th-century ashlared arch-braced collar truss roof with cusped struts, collars, and principals, together with two subsidiary tie-beams. The transept roof is of similar date and type, featuring king-post trusses against the end walls. The chancel has 15th-century hollow-chamfered wall-plates. At the west end is a chamfered arch-braced truss with a brattished tie-beam, cusped detail, quatrefoil tracery in the spandrels, and moulded responds. East of this truss the roof is ceiled. A traceried, arcaded chancel screen spans the chancel opening.

The stone font is 12th-century with a tapering cylindrical bowl and chamfered base. A five-sided timber pulpit dates from the 19th century. An altar table with turned legs in the transept is mid-18th-century.

Memorials include two 17th-century cast iron floor slabs set against the west end of the nave: one to Guilbert Hare (died 1669) with coat of arms and moulded border, and one to Margaret Hare (died 1669) also with moulded border. An early 19th-century memorial commemorates John Harris. Various floor slabs of mainly 18th and 19th-century date are present, including a 17th-century example to James Parry and John Goode. An 18th-century cartouche to James Bromage (died 1723) stands at the east end of the church. The north transept contains a late 18th-century memorial to Walter Harris (died 1791).

The chancel and a north nave window contain 19th-century glass, with one of the chancel windows executed by Barnett of Newcastle.