Church Of St Mary

Church of St Mary

Parish church dating from around 1200, extended and rebuilt in the late 13th century, with some 14th and 15th century additions. The building underwent restoration in the 18th century and further restoration campaigns in 1867, 1875, 1882 and 1904. It is constructed of coursed rubble with ashlar dressings under a slate roof with an octagonal shingled spire. The plan comprises a west tower, nave with north and south aisles, north transept, chancel and north vestry.

The west tower of around 1200 stands in three stages with a timber spire probably added in the 18th century. The tower features clasping buttresses, a battered plinth with roll moulding and an 18th century crenellated parapet. The third stage has a semi-octagonal head, probably 19th century, in the south wall with a lancet to the west wall. The first stage contains lancets with double roll mouldings. The ground stage has lancets with dog-toothed labels set in pilaster buttresses. The late 13th century south aisle comprises five bays with a four-bay clerestory above, containing square-headed windows each of two trefoiled lights. The aisle windows below each have two lights, trefoiled to the west, then pointed to the east of the south door, trefoiled, and finally cinquefoiled, the last three under two-centred heads. The south porch of the late 15th or early 16th century has a tall outer two-centred arch with moulded and shafted jambs. The side walls are of two bays, each with a window of two ogee trefoiled lights with a quatrefoil under the two-centred head. Internally, a moulded respond is carried up to support the central roof truss, the mouldings continuing across the tie beam. The contemporary south door has a two-centred arch and moulded jambs, the outer rolls of which are continued upwards to form the sides of tall trefoiled panels flanking the door with moulded brackets for statues. The north aisle of three bays to the west has two windows, each of two trefoiled lights with quatrefoil under two-centred head, with a blocked north door between. Above the clerestory are two windows, each of two trefoiled lights. The north transept, added in the early 14th century, has diagonal buttresses. The north window is of three trefoiled lights with a traceried head under a two-centred arch. The east and west windows are each of two cinquefoiled lights under a two-centred head. The chancel is also late 13th century with clasped buttresses. The south wall is of three bays, with the western window of two trefoiled lights under a two-centred head, the central one a trefoil lancet, and that to the east of two cinquefoiled lights under a two-centred head. The priests' door to the west of the central window has a two-centred cusped head. The north wall has two two-light windows similar to those in the south wall flanking the north vestry, with simple lancets in the east and west walls. The east window of the chancel has three lights, the outer two trefoiled and the central light cinquefoiled, all under a two-centred head.

Interior

The interior has similar arcades of five bays to the north and south aisles. These have two-centred arches of two chamfered orders with chamfered labels bearing head stops. The cylindrical columns have moulded capitals and bases, with the eastern columns of each arcade bearing a corbel to support a statue. The south arcade is aligned centrally on the tower arch, which has a central pier forming the respond of the arcade. This is probably contemporary with the two-centred tower arch of three chamfered orders, the inner order supported on three engaged filleted shafts. Above this arch is the scar of the steep roof of the former nave, centred on the tower. A lean-to arch of two chamfered orders separates the north transept from the remaining three bays of the north aisle. The chancel arch is two-centred of three chamfered orders with engaged respond shafts to the inner order. To the north of the arch a square-headed door formed the entrance to the rood loft, with the lower doorway into the north transept. In the north wall of the chancel is a 14th century tomb recess with a hollow chamfered segmental-pointed head with ball-flower ornament, a moulded label with crockets, head stops and finial. The side shafts have carved finials, and the recess contains a 14th century stone effigy of a knight.

Fittings include a 15th century screen dividing off the east bay of the south aisle, of seven bays to the north and three bays to the west, all with ogee trefoiled and traceried heads, with a doorway in the west side with two similar heads. The 15th century chancel screen has five bays including a central door with a square head carved with monsters, and above a three-light opening with ogee trefoiled heads, with similar heads to the three-light bays on each side. The moulded main posts have carved mole heads at the base, with a fan-vaulted canopy above, probably 19th century. The 15th century north transept screen has four bays, with the doorway to the west of centre. The western bay is of three lights, the other two each of four lights, all with ogee trefoiled heads, and the main posts all have pilasters with carved finials. A 12th century font is a cracked simple round tapering bowl. A 14th century font has an octagonal continuously moulded bowl with panelled stem. Set around the fonts at the west end of the south aisle are pieces of at least five coffin lids with incised crosses. A floor slab standing against the west wall of the nave has the indents of two figures under a double canopy, formerly with stone inlay, probably 15th century, with added inscriptions to TR 1690 and AR 1682. The nave roof is 15th century with moulded tie beams forming seven bays, with a low-pitched boarded and ribbed roof. The north transept roof is of similar date with three bays of steeply cambered tie beams supporting short king posts. The chancel roof is 14th century common-rafter type with straight braces to the collars and ashlar pieces, with a brattished wall plate that is 19th century.