Church Of St Mary

CAYNHAM

SO57SE Church of St Mary 482-1/10/107 12/11/54

GV II*

Church. C12 tower, C12 nave and chancel rebuilt and extended 1885 by James Brookes. MATERIALS: stone rubble with ashlar dressings to tower. Rusticated coursed stone to C19 rebuild. Plain-tile roofs with pyramid tower roof, ashlar coped chancel gable, ornamental clay ridge. PLAN: chancel with north vestry, nave with north aisle and south porch, west tower. EXTERIOR: chancel is 1885 rebuild with 3-light Decorated-style east window with cusped cinquefoils. Ashlar-gabled diagonal and side buttresses, gabled vestry projection with chimney stack with rounded ashlar shafts. Rebuild incorporates restored Decorated cusped lancet to north wall and 2 in the south wall where there is an additional twin-cusped lancet with quatrefoil over. Nave: 1885 rebuild of south wall with 3 tall lancets, one of which is a reset Norman lancet with dogtooth dressed lintel. Reset and restored Norman south door with dogtooth and chevron arch and scalloped capital and with C19 tympanum and abaci. 1885 north aisle wall with broad flat buttresses and 4 lancets, incorporating reset Norman lancet, and former east window of 2 cusped lights with vesica over reset in west aisle wall. South porch of 1885: stone with tiled roof. 2-stage west tower: Transitional west doorway with hoodmoulds on eroded figure-head imposts. Upper tower stage with lancets. Roll-moulded string course around base. INTERIOR: chancel with ribbed stone-vaulted roof springing off C13 corbels with Early English moulding and undercut abaci. Corbels probably reset. Transitional triple chancel arch with central tall archway and arched side openings, all with plain chamfered imposts and raised roll-moulded hoodmoulds on nave side only. Nave: roof from 1885 rebuild of 8 bays with 9 pine trusses, arched braced with scissor-struts over collar and with clasped purlins. Aisle arcade of 3 arches on scalloped capitals on large round shafts of 1885 date. Early English font. (An Architectural Account of the Churches of Shropshire: Cranage D H S: 1895-).

Listing NGR: SO5537473278