Church Of St Mary

Church of St Mary

Parish church, built 1250–80, with restoration and tower added in 1887–9. Constructed in coursed red and yellow sandstone rubble with red and grey sandstone ashlar dressings; the tower is of squared and coursed yellow sandstone with ashlar dressings. Plain tile roofs cover a cruciform plan with north porch and tower positioned in the north-east angle.

The tower comprises three stages. It has three offsets to the east, a chamfered offset to the belfry with clasping buttresses, and moulded corbels supporting a pyramidal roof with weathervane. A gabled dormer to the west has shaped barge boards. The belfry features two trefoil-headed louvred lights with hollow-chamfered reveals and hoodmoulds with uncarved stops, divided by a central buttress. The middle stage has quatrefoil openings. The first stage contains a hollow-chamfered lancet to the north and a doorway to the east with chamfered arch and boarded door with strap hinges.

The nave has a chamfered plinth and angle buttresses to the west with four closely-spaced offsets. A corbel table with moulded and carved corbels supports coped parapeted gables with moulded and carved kneelers. The parapeted gable end to the west rests on moulded corbels at eaves level. The west front displays a three-light window with stepped lights, moulded reveals, and hoodmould with carved stops. A moulded arched doorway with hoodmould and carved stops contains a 19th-century boarded door with strap hinges. The south front has three chamfered trefoil-headed lancets with hoodmoulds and carved stops, and a blocked doorway between the first and second windows from the right with moulded arch and hoodmould with carved stops. The north front contains two chamfered trefoil-headed lancets to the right with hoodmoulds and carved stops, and a small circular quatrefoiled window high up to the left. An off-centre moulded-arched doorway to the left has a hoodmould with carved stops and two 19th-century boarded doors with strap hinges. The porch has a chamfered plinth and coped parapeted gable. Its double chamfered arch has an inner chamfer dying into responds, a hoodmould with carved stops, and a niche in the apex of the gable with nodding trefoiled head and hoodmould with carved stops.

The transepts have chamfered plinths, corbel tables with moulded and carved corbels, and coped parapeted gables with moulded kneelers. The north and south windows each contain three lights with geometrical tracery comprising quatrefoils and trefoils, hollow-chamfered reveals, and hoodmoulds with carved stops. The south transept has pairs of east and west lancets; the north transept has a pair of blocked east lancets. All have trefoil heads, chamfered reveals, and hoodmoulds with carved stops.

The chancel has a chamfered plinth, cill string, angle buttresses, and coped parapeted gable end. The north front has triple lancets to the left with trefoil heads, moulded reveals, and hoodmoulds with carved stops. To the right is a large chamfered-arched recess with cill string carried over as a hoodmould and a small square opening within to the left. The south front contains a group of four lancets to the right and a pair to the left, all with trefoil heads and hoodmoulds with carved stops; those to the right have moulded reveals and those to the left have chamfered reveals. An off-centre priest's doorway to the left has a chamfered arch with cill string carried over as a hoodmould and a boarded door with strap hinges. The east end features a large window of two paired trefoil-headed lights with geometrical tracery consisting of trefoils and cinquefoils in circles, nook shafts with carved capitals, moulded reveals, and hoodmould with carved stops. A small circular window in the apex of the gable sits above.

Interior features include a ten-bay nave roof dated 1598 and a five-bay chancel roof dated 1571, both with arch bracing to collars, cusped windbraces, queen struts, and V-struts. Transept, chancel, and tower arches have chamfered jambs with carved stops, moulded inner arches dying into responds, and moulded outer arches resting on short colonnettes with carved and moulded capitals and carved corbels. Hoodmoulds with carved stops crown these arches. Nave windows have chamfered reveals; transept windows have moulded rear arches and hoodmoulds with carved stops. The chancel features a cill string rising as a hoodmould above the priest's doorway. Side windows have nook shafts with stiff-leaf capitals, moulded trefoil rear arches, and hoodmoulds with carved stops. The east window has nook shafts with carved capitals and hoodmould with carved stops. A 14th-century ogee-arched tomb recess occupies the south wall of the south transept.

Liturgical furnishings include moulded trefoil-headed arched piscinas in each transept, a small piscina in the south-east corner of the nave, and a double piscina in the chancel with moulded trefoil-headed arch, carved bowls, and hoodmould with carved stops. A trefoil-headed chamfered-arched piscina or aumbry appears in the north wall of the chancel.

The church contains notable fittings: a 13th-century octagonal stone font with trefoil-headed arcading and attached shafts with moulded capitals, one of which has a carved stiff-leaf capital; 16th-century linen-fold panelling behind the altar; a 17th-century five-sided wooden pulpit on a stone base; and altar rails and choir stalls, probably from the 1887–9 restoration. Medieval floor tiles survive in the north transept, and probably medieval stencilled wall decoration appears in the south transept. Most windows retain clear diamond-leaded glass.

Monuments include a chest tomb in the north transept to Sir Nicholas Burnell (died 1382) with crocketed ogee-arched arcading and brass on top. A large alabaster monument in the north transept to Sir Richard Lee (died 1591) displays two recumbent effigies under a round arch with kneeling offspring behind, flanking piers, extensive strapwork decoration, and a central coat of arms above with flanking terms. A large monument in the north transept to Sir Humphrey Lee (died 1632) by Nicholas Stone features two kneeling figures facing each other across a desk, two round arches with carved soffits, flanking pilasters, offspring in a row beneath, and a triangular pediment above with shield. Numerous wall tablets appear throughout the transepts, nave, and chancel, including 17th-century brass plaques and a tablet of 1794 signed by King of Bath with military trophy.

The church was built for Robert Burnell (died 1292), whose fortified house stands in ruins nearby.