Church Of St Mary

SO 23 NE 1/1 26.1.67

CRASWALL CP

Church of St Mary

II*

Parish church. Early C15, C17 south porch, internal wall separating western part of nave probably of C18, restored 1883. Sandstone rubble, timber-framed bell turret with weatherboard cladding, stone slate roofs. Nave with bell turret and south porch, chancel. Nave and chancel of six bays; west bell turret with pyramidal roof; south front, small gabled dormer with casement window toward centre, one square-headed window opening to left and two similar square-headed 2-light windows of 1883 restoration to right of gabled C17 south porch; C15 inner doorway with moulded jambs and 3-centred head; the two windows to right flank a further doorway probably of C15 date with chamfered jambs and 2-centred head; early C15 square-headed east window survives with three cinquefoiled-ogee- headed lights, no windows on north wall with only traces of one blocked square-headed window on exterior at eastern end; continuous stone bench runs along the east and south sides of the chancel and the east side of the south porch. Interior: two western bays of nave are separated from the remainder of the church by the added wall and now used as a vestry, access through south porch and through a later square-headed doorway in interior, formerly an arched opening; renewed roof presumably contemporary with dividing wall; remaining four bays of nave and chancel with braced collar-beam trusses blocked below the trusses may indicate the former existence of tie-beams, three rough tie-beams have been added at a later date, soffit of roof is boarded, traces of painted foliage decoration survive on purlins of eastern bay; moulded and embattled wall-plate. To west of nave against inserted wall is a C18 wooden gallery lit by the dormer window; south wall of chancel, piscina with two drains not in situ; church retains two C18 oak communion tables; font of 1912. The east window and piscina are reputed to have come from Craswall Priory. The vestry was used as a school room during C19. To the north of the church is a shallow rectangular depression said to have been a Fives Court; to the north-west is a further depression said to have been used as a cockpit. [BOE, p 107; RCHM Vol I, p 42).

Listing NGR: SO2814736279