Church Of St Mary

Church of St Mary

This parish church was rebuilt in 1720 and restored in 1880, incorporating a 12th-century south doorway. It is constructed of brick on a sandstone plinth with sandstone and limestone dressings and tiled roofs.

The church comprises a west tower, three-bay nave, two-bay chancel and south porch. The tower has a chamfered plinth and four stages divided by strings, each except the top stage slightly recessed from the one below. The third stage features arched louvred openings with jambs rising directly from the strings beneath on each face, while the first and second stages on the south face have similar but slightly off-centre openings. Above the top stage is a stone cornice and plain frieze, topped by a low brick pediment with moulded stone raking cornices and keystones to each face. A gadrooned urn-finial sits at each corner. A central scrolled wrought iron support, probably 18th century, holds the shaft of the weathervane, which displays a sun-motif beneath it and a cross above. The vane itself is in the form of an arrow with open lettering in a stencilled style reading "1720/RESTORED/ 1880". The brick west doorway is round-headed with continuous roll moulding crossed by imposts rising to a moulded brick label, above which is a tablet bearing the shield-of-arms of the Brydges in a cartouche. An early 18th-century fielded two-leaved six-panelled door with semi-circular head hangs here. A clock is mounted on the west face of the second stage.

The nave has lancets from the 1880 restoration, with rubbed brick heads and limestone cills, moulded labels with stops returning into walls and keystones at the apex of each lancet. In the centre bay of the south side, concealed by the porch, is a trefoiled window. The chancel has no fenestration to its square east wall; the side walls feature lancets matching those of the nave. The porch is brick with an outer doorway similar to but smaller than the west doorway, topped by a stone cornice and four small pyramidical-topped finials whose bases overhang the cornice. Above the outer doorway is a tablet dated circa 1880 inscribed: "O PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF/ JERUSALEM/ THEY SHALL PROSPER THAT LOVE THEE/ PSALM CXXII. 6".

The 12th-century south doorway is sandstone with a semi-circular arch of two orders of roll mouldings, the inner continuous except for the interruption of imposts, and a thick outer roll moulding carried on a pair of detached shafts with deep scalloped capitals and pyramidical motifs between each scallop. The rear arch is segmentally headed. A fielded six-panelled door similar to that of the tower fills this opening.

The interior has plastered barrel roofs interrupted by a round chancel arch with chamfered jambs and keystone bearing the shield-of-arms of the Brydges. The nave has a continuous wooden cornice at wall-plate level which returns across the east and west walls. The chancel has a similar cornice returning across the east head of the chancel arch but running out short of the east wall.

The chancel features a painted panelled hemi-dome above a shallow apse, with a carved oak reredos designed by John Wood the Elder in 1728. This reredos has a deep plain entablature and moulded plinth returning to north and south at the ends, with three plain panels divided by four pilasters. Each pilaster is carved with three emblems—linked by tassled ropes—of The Crucifixion, The Passion and the Brydges. The tops of the pilasters are linked beneath the entablature by a frieze containing cherubs: a pair to each of the outer pilasters and one to each of the inner ones. Between the outer and inner cherubs are flaming hearts and books; between the inner cherubs is a bird with outstretched wings superimposed on a sun.

A mahogany armchair, probably late 18th century, sits to the south side of the altar, featuring lattice-work beneath the arms and in the back-rest, with a cut-out quatrefoil at the top. The altar table is mahogany with curved front legs and a moulded top. The Communion rails are early 18th century with a moulded string and rail, spiral balusters divided into three bays by heavy turned balusters.

Four ornate wall monuments in the form of aedicules commemorate William Brydges (died 1668); Anne, wife of Edmund Brydges (died 1696), with twisted composite columns; Margaret Brydges (died 1671, aged 20), with allegorical figures, inscribed "Soe Young & Soe Soone dead, conclude we may She was to (sic) good longer one (sic) earth to stay"; and Elizabeth (died 1690) and Francis Brydges (died 1727). Two floor monuments commemorate Marshall and Mary Brydges (died 1709 and 1700) and James and Dorothy Greene (died 1714 and 1713).

Beneath the chancel arch are two painted wooden fluted Ionic columns, designed as candlesticks and each with a small brass candle-holder. Between them is a lectern in the form of a kneeling angel. Above the arch to the west are the Royal Arms of George I, dated "1720", in an ornate frame.

The nave contains shields-of-arms of Brydges and related families, one to each apex of the nave lancets, perhaps re-used and damaged on their undersides when the lancets were created. A late 18th-century two-decker pulpit has its upper part hexagonal with two raised panels to each side. Matching box pews extend as far as the south door on both sides, with open pews featuring matching end panels and re-used early 17th-century panels, some with strapwork in the dado. The font has a moulded circular base, fluted stem, circular bowl with moulded rim, and four cherubs separated by acanthus leaves.

On the west wall are three further Brydges monuments: above the doorway to the tower, one to Edmund (died 1722), signed "T SYMONDS/ HEREFORD/ SCULP"; to the south, another to Edmund (died 1794) bearing the motto Maintien le Droit; and to the north, one to William (died 1764) by T King of Bath, a grey marble oval plaque down which a cherub unfurls inscription scrolls.

The north side has nave monuments including one to William Henry Lee Warner (died 1896) by King of Hereford; Robert Henry Lee Warner (died 1895) and his wife Isabella by Shirer & Haddon of Cheltenham, inscribed "THEY RESTORED THIS CHURCH AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE AND SPARED NO PAINS TO MAKE IT WORTHY OF THE WORSHIP OF ALMIGHTY GOD". In the north-east corner is a monument to Francis Brydges (died 1793) by T King of Bath, featuring a draped urn. The east wall holds a memorial to Revd Daniel Henry Lee Warner of Walsingham Abbey (died 1858).

The tower contains six-panelled round-headed two-leaved east doors with re-used 17th-century panelling featuring fluted margins to east and west. Behind benches to north and south are early 17th-century splat balusters. Several hatchments with the mottoes "RESURGAM" and "MEMORIA PIJ AETERNA" are displayed.

The Brydges family lived at Tyberton Court, which was probably designed by John Wood the Elder (1704–1754). Wood's early patron, the Duke of Chandos, was a member of the Brydges family.

The church is listed at Grade II* partly owing to 19th-century alterations to the fenestration.