Church Of St Mary The Virgin

Church of Saint Mary the Virgin

A parish church of considerable historical depth, with a late 12th-century nave and south aisle, a 13th-century chancel, a north aisle rebuilt in the late 15th century, a north chapel and tower, and a late 17th-century porch. The building is constructed of dressed red and grey sandstone and yellow-grey sandstone ashlar, with plain tile roofs. Documented alterations and restoration date to 1603 and 1875.

The church comprises a nave and aisles of two-and-a-half bays, chancel and north chapel, north porch, and west tower.

The west tower rises in two tall external stages with a canted stair turret to the south-east. It features a chamfered plinth, angle buttresses with chamfered offsets leading into diagonal buttresses to the belfry, a moulded string course with carved blocks, a quatrefoil frieze to the parapet string course with carved blocks and gargoyles, and a battlemented parapet with moulded coping and eight crocketed pinnacles. Above sits a pyramidal lead cap with weathervane. The belfry openings contain two trefoil-headed lights with quatrefoil tracery, chamfered reveals, and hoodmoulds with carved stops. Beneath these are quatrefoil sound holes with chamfered square reveals and returned hoodmoulds; a clock sits over the sound hole to the north. The west window comprises three trefoil-headed lights with panelled tracery, chamfered reveals, and a hoodmould with chamfered stops. A small corbelled ogee-headed niche to the north bears a shield inscribed with the name "Thomas Chorlton" (probably the patron).

The nave and aisles have chamfered plinths and parapeted gable ends with plain copings and shaped kneelers. The south side features pilaster buttresses, a small 12th-century round-arched window, a 19th-century window of two cinquefoil-headed lights with quatrefoil tracery, and a 19th-century cinquefoil-headed chamfered lancet. Pilaster buttresses flank a late 12th-century round-arched doorway with chamfered reveals, one order of shafts with moulded bases and foliage-carved capitals, two orders of carved ornament around the arch (chevron and other), and remains of a hoodmould; the door is 19th-century and boarded with strap hinges. On the right-hand return front is a 14th-century window of two trefoil-headed lights with Y-tracery.

The north side has buttresses with chamfered offsets and a diagonal buttress to the left. A square-headed window to the right contains three cinquefoil-headed lights with chamfered reveals. A probably late 18th-century blocked round-arched doorway with chamfered reveals leads to the north chapel (possibly a former entrance to a squire's pew). To the right is a 12th-century depressed-arched doorway with chamfered reveals, one order of shafts with moulded bases and foliage-carved capitals, chamfered imposts, and a roll-moulded arch with nailhead ornament; the door is probably 15th- or 16th-century, nail-studded, boarded, and with strap hinges. On the left-hand return front of the aisle is a 15th-century window of three trefoiled ogee-headed lights with panelled tracery, chamfered reveals, and returned hoodmould (possibly altered from a two-light window, as evidenced by stubs of mullions in the cill).

The east gable end of the nave contains a pair of double-chamfered square windows of circa 1603.

The late 17th-century ashlar porch has chamfered rustication, a round-arched entrance with archivolt, flanking rusticated pilasters with moulded bases and capitals, a parapeted gable with moulded kneelers, plain coping with flanking scrolls, and a cross at the apex.

The chancel has a parapeted gable end with shaped kneelers. The south side features three ashlar buttresses with chamfered offsets; a late 18th-century left-hand buttress has its upper part carved to represent an obelisk-type memorial tablet (no inscription was present at the time of survey in January 1986). A square-headed window to the left contains two cinquefoil-headed lights. A square-headed 19th-century window to the right has two cinquefoil-headed lights with depressed Y-tracery and chamfered reveals. A blocked moulded 13th-century priest's doorway sits off-centre to the left, partly obscured by the left-hand buttress. The north side has a 13th-century blocked chamfered lancet to the right and a central 19th-century chamfered round-arched window of two cinquefoil-headed lights. The east end is dominated by a large 15th-century window of five cinquefoil-headed lights with panelled tracery and returned hoodmould.

The interior reveals two late 12th-century arcades of two-and-a-half bays (the west end is truncated by the later tower), consisting of circular piers with moulded bases and capitals carved with small scallops, foliage, and beads (south-east), supporting round arches with a small chamfer and continuous hoodmould with carved heads as stops. A tall tower arch features continuous double chamfer with bell-shaped bases. A chamfered four-centred arched doorway leads to the stair turret. The nave roof dates to circa 1603 and comprises three bays of chamfered arch-braced collar trusses springing from stone corbels, with pairs of purlins with wind braces. The north aisle roof is 18th or 19th-century with king posts. The south aisle has a round rear arch to the south door and square surrounds to the remains of a piscina. The 13th-century chancel arch consists of half-round inner shafts with capitals and a moulded arch, with continuous outer chamfer. The arch to the north chapel features a half-octagonal pier to the left with chamfered base and capital, and a double chamfered arch dying into the right-hand respond. The chancel roof is probably 17th-century and comprises three bays of arch-braced collar trusses with central pendants and struts above the collar, springing from hammerbeams with carved angels; it includes two pairs of purlins with wind braces. A blocked 13th-century south door to the chancel sits with a blocked 13th-century window to its left. A small recess in the south wall may be a former piscina or aumbry. A large chamber in the east wall may be a former aumbry or reliquary.

The church contains numerous fittings of note. A carved oak reredos was presented in 1881 by Miss Corbet of Acton Reynald. Late 19th-century choir stalls and a vicar's pew are present, along with a late 19th-century eagle lectern. An octagonal wooden pulpit dated 1612 features fluted recessed panels (two high), guilloche ornament, a moulded cornice, tapered base with lozenge ornament, and steps with a fluted newel. Late 19th-century pews line the nave. A 12th-century stone tub font has bands of geometrical ornament, a moulded base, and lead lining. A probably 17th-century iron-bound poor box stands by the north door. A 17th-century table in the south aisle has tapered legs and carving. A plain 17th- or 18th-century parish chest and three large benefactors' boards beneath the tower (one dated 1737) are also present. A brass chandelier presented by Mr Richard Hill in 1776 hangs in the interior.

Stained glass includes fragments of 14th- or 15th-century glass in the south window of the chancel, including a Virgin of the Annunciation.

Monuments include a medieval coffin slab on the wall west of the north door bearing a cross of the crosslet type and the initials "EC KP". A tablet in the chancel commemorates Lucy Minor (died 1832) and consists of a sarcophagus topped by an urn with crossed palms and a shield below. Dates inscribed in the wall above the chancel arch include 1875 and, to the left, 1603 with the initials "WHMP".

The roof was probably raised circa 1603, and the windows in the eastern gable end of the nave were likely inserted at the same time. There was formerly a south porch, which was taken down in 1789.