Church Of St Mary

This parish church, now redundant, was built in 1843 and 1855 by George Rowe or Moore. Constructed of sandstone ashlar with ashlar dressings, it has Welsh slate roofs and an ashlar spire. The church follows a cruciform plan with an unusual western polygonal chancel, a three-bay nave, and transepts projecting by one bay, each with symmetrical porches to the west. An east tower provides the main entrance and supports the spire.

Tower and Spire

The tower features an extremely tall bottom stage with gabled weathered angle buttresses that terminate near the bell-openings of the top stage. Each side of the top stage has two lancets with continuous labels and battered cills. Above a cornice supported on a corbel table rises an octagonal broach spire with gabled lucarnes to the cardinal points and smaller, higher ones to the subsidiary diagonal points. The spire terminates in a moulded finial with a wrought iron cross.

East Entrance

The east side of the tower displays three stepped trefoil-headed lancets—the outer two blind—separated by engaged shafts, positioned above the main entry. The east doorway has a two-centred moulded arch on a pair of shafts, with one order of the arch featuring dog-teeth decoration. A label with stops frames the doorway, which is fitted with two-leaved oak doors, diagonally ledged. Four steps lead to the doors, flanked by a pair of cast-iron shoe-scrapers.

Nave

The nave has three lancets to each elevation, each with moulded labels and curious square label stops in the form of pieces of string course. Tall weathered buttresses separate the lancets. The nave features a chamfered plinth, continuous string, and chamfered cornice.

Transepts and Porches

The transepts continue the strings from the nave. The north and south sides each have three stepped lancets with richly moulded labels and large foliated stops, while single blind lancets appear on the east returns. Verges and kneelers are present, with weathered buttresses at the south-east and north-east corners where the transepts meet the nave.

Attached to the west side of each transept is a small porch with a plain parapet. Each porch has a continuously chamfered two-centred doorway with ledged oak doors to north and south, fitted with moulded labels. The string to the parapets of the porches continues around the apse. The west returns of the porches each have a pair of rectangular lights with shouldered lintels and wrought iron casements. Beneath the windows of the north porch, stone stairs descend to a square-headed doorway into the crypt. A square chimney shaft stands at each west junction of the apse and transepts.

Apse

The apse has five lancets, one to each side, with moulded labels. At the angles are single fully recessed shafts with stylised capitals in the form of three leaves. The apex of the roof features an elaborate wrought iron circle in cross.

Interior: Tower Porch and Nave

The interior of the porch beneath the tower has stone side benches and moulded wall-plates with untrussed rafters. The triangular pointed inner doorway has three chamfered orders with a label featuring head stops of a queen and a cleric. Two-leaved oak doors guard the entrance. A drawing of the Old Church of St John the Baptist, Yazor, inscribed "Old Yazor, Oct 1850" is displayed here.

The nave roof has six bays of moulded trusses with arch-braces rising from foliated corbels and moulded wall-plates. Where the roof crosses the apexes of the two transeptual arches, there are a pair of carved wooden angels. The transepts have roofs similar to those of each porch beneath the tower.

Interior: Chancel

The chancel roof has ribs rising from corbels similar to those of the nave but richly painted. The ribs meet in a large enriched boss above the chancel steps. Extending down from the corbels are narrow vertical painted strips with diagonal stripes in gold, green, red and black. A red painted plaster dado features eight rows of rampart lions, probably symbols of the Price family. The dado has gilded and painted metal cresting with running foliage patterns to the margins.

Attached to five sides of the dado beneath the apse windows are metal plaques inscribed with the Magnificat, Creed, Ten Commandments, Lord's Prayer and Nunc Dimittis. Above the central wall is a mid-19th century oak canopy with three large crocketted multi-foiled gables and pendants.

The communion table, perhaps mid-19th century, has massive twisted legs with tendrils along the twists and debased Ionic capitals with putti-heads in place of volutes. Beneath the front rail are garlands and vine-foliage. The rear legs, possibly 17th century, are in the form of pilasters with acanthus decoration and crude Ionic capitals.

A late 19th century altar cross in oak has a stepped base enriched with fleurons. A mid-19th century oak chair features a gabled and crocketted back, these motifs repeated in upholstery patterns in red, gold and blue. An oak late 19th century prie-dieu has a chamfered two-centred arch to an open panel with two trefoils in the spandrels. Oak communion rails feature three hollow chamfered saltire crosses to each side of the central entry.

Stained Glass

The stained glass in the lancets of the apse dates to circa 1845 by Warrington. The central lancet depicts the Ascension, Crucifixion and Resurrection in three superimposed vesicae. The south lancet shows the Annunciation and Nativity, while the north lancet depicts the Magi and a miracle scene. The diagonal lancets to the south-west and north-west display emblems of the Four Evangelists.

A carpet between the communion rails and altar, probably 19th century, is carefully fitted in the apse and decorated in blue, gold and terracotta colours.

Monuments and Memorials

East of the communion rails and west of the transepts in the south wall is a chamfered triangular-headed doorway to the vestry and south porch. Above is a marble and stone wall monument with gable, crockets, and apron with two female heads. The inscription reads: "IN MEMORY OF ROBERT ONLY SON OF SIR UVEDALE PRICE OF FOXLEY BART AND LADY CAROLINE HIS WIFE DAUGHTER OF GEORGE EARL OF TYRCONNEL DIED 1857 AUXILIVM IN MEVM DOMINO".

To the left is a brass plaque for R.L. Preece, Rector, dated 1863, who "beautified this Church & built the spire". On the north wall opposite is a large white marble plaque with an inlaid cross, at the junction of whose arms is a representation of the east elevation of the present church. The plaque commemorates Uvedale Snodd Price. The inscription concludes: "... He was zealous for the honour of his makers house and began to Build this Church, the ancient one of this parish being dilapidated by time. But it pleased almighty God to call him hence before his work was ended. He died at Bishopstone Nov VI mdccccliv aged xxxix years".

Beneath this is a mid-19th century cast iron stove about six feet high and four feet in diameter, with radiating vertical fins, fluted capping and crown-finial.

Floors and Furnishings

Between the north and south walls of the chancel are richly decorated geometrically patterned floor tiles with blues, reds, browns and buffs.

A candelabrum, perhaps brass and wrought iron, hangs centrally from the roof, featuring twelve curved branches with foliated drip-pans and a turned central shaft.

A late 19th century bench and two-seater desk in oak stand in the chancel. The bench has carved arms with a bird; the desk has poppyheads and ogeed panels.

Transepts: Screens and Pulpit

The transepts each have a large triangular-headed arch with three chamfered orders to the jambs. Each arch has a pair of corbels, like those of the nave, supporting the central order with fillet moulding. Beneath each arch is a richly carved oak screen, probably late 19th century, with a central entry and six panels, each with two trefoil-headed openings and benches with moulded arms facing inwards.

The southern screen is interrupted by a large polygonal oak pulpit supported on a large carved corbel. The lower rail has a carved angel. Panels have crockets and ogeed heads. An inscription on the rail reads: "Blessed is he that heareth the Word of God...". The ogeed tester is vaulted in oak between pendants with the emblems of the Four Evangelists. Behind the screen, oak stairs with a balustraded handrail lead into the pulpit.

The west side of the south transept has a triangular-headed doorway like that in the chancel. The south window has stained glass with grisaille, blue squares and red triangles dated 1866. To the north of the pulpit is a two-seater bench and desk similar to that in the chancel.

The screen to the north transept is similar to that of the south transept but unobstructed, with six seats and a central entry to the organ. The stained glass is similar to that of the south transept. The organ has exposed pipes framed by quatrefoiled spandrels and two corner posts, each with an angle to the top.

Nave Furnishings and Memorials

The nave has uncoloured plastered walls. The font has a plain octagonal base and stem with an octagonal bowl featuring a chamfered underside and horizontal mouldings to the lower parts of the sides, probably 15th century.

Stained glass in the opposed westernmost lancets depicts biblical scenes. The north window depicts Ruth gleaning wheat and commemorates the marriage of Charlotte Lucy Davenport in June 1866. The south window refers to Isaac and Rebekah and commemorates the marriage of George Horatio Davenport of Foxley and Sophia Diane in February 1866.

The south side of the east wall has a monument to the Honourable Robert Price, died 1732/3, in white and black marble with Corinthian columns, two urns and an achievement. Above is a monument with obelisk and urn for Robert, only son of Uvedale Price. Both these Price monuments were removed from the Old Church of St John the Baptist in December 1853.

The north side of the east wall has two early 19th century monuments: the top one for George Allen, the bottom one for Reverend James Allen.

A roll of honour commemorates six men of the parish killed from 1914–1919 and four from 1939–1945.

A candelabrum identical to that in the chancel hangs centrally from the roof. Radiators in oak cases with lattice grilles stand in the north-east and south-east corners. Mid-19th century nave pews and wainscoting were complete at the time of re-survey in December 1986.

Tower Arch and Gallery

To each side of the east door is a pair of wrought iron mid-19th century brackets with twisted stems. Above the door are the Royal Arms, in relief, possibly plaster, richly painted. Above the Arms is a slender two-centred tower arch with three orders, the centre one having corbels like the transeptual arches supporting the central filleted order.

The lower part of the arch is crossed by an open wooden screen, producing a gallery effect consisting of three panels separated by octagonal shafts supporting two-centred arches with tracery. At the bottom of each panel is a pair of quatrefoils. Beyond the screen is the ringing chamber with bell-rope and a lancet in the east wall of the tower containing stained glass of the Virgin and Child.

Historical Note

Goodhart-Rendel dates the church to 1843 and 1855 and attributes it to George Moore. Pevsner suggests 1843 by George Rowe, with the apse windows by Warrington circa 1845. The building was awash with rainwater affecting the chancel, floor tiles, pulpit and benches at the time of re-survey but was said to be in process of transfer to the Redundant Churches Fund.