Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is a parish church largely dating to the 13th century, with alterations and additions made in the 14th century and a 16th-century roof. It was restored in 1869 by Hans F Price of Weston-super-Mare. The church is constructed of coursed sandstone rubble with worked rubble dressings, and has an artificial stone slate roof. It consists of a west belfry tower, a nave and chancel combined, a south porch, and a north vestry.

The west belfry tower has two stages topped by a short, octagonal, broached spire. It features a projecting plinth and moulded string course, followed by another string course to the belfry stage. Short clasping buttresses support the tower, and there are square-headed vents to the belfry; a weathervane sits atop the spire, and weatherings mark the earlier roof line on the east side. The nave and chancel form a continuous space, with one lancet window to the west and four similar lancets to the east of the south porch. A gabled dormer provides light to the rood screen. A two-light window features trefoiled, ogee-headed lights, a hoodmould, and a small stone cross at the apex, topped by three short, stepped buttresses. The gabled south porch has a pointed arched doorway of two orders – the inner order is rounded and the outer is chamfered. A square stone stoup is set against the inner east wall. The east window was designed in 1862 by J P Seddon and executed by Powell of Whitefriars.

Inside, the church has a continuous, ceiled waggon roof with moulded members and small square bosses. One moulded tie beam and the cut ends of another remain from an earlier roof. The moulded wooden wall plate is marked with red crosses on the tie-beam stubs. A fine stone rood screen has three bays, the central bay with a two-centred arch, and the outer bays with segmental pointed arches. The screen features two moulded orders, octagonal piers, semi-octagonal responds with moulded bases and capitals, hoodmoulds to the arches, and a hollow chamfered cornice with ball flower ornament. Fittings include a 12th-century font with a plain, circular bowl and a squat, circular base. A stone seat with shaped armrests is located in the north wall of the chancel. A piscina is set within the east splay of the south-east window of the chancel, featuring a small trefoil-headed recess. The red crosses on the wall-plate and the cut ends of the tie-beams probably refer to the Knights Templar, who held the church until 1312 when it passed to the Knights Hospitaller.