Church Of St Mary

CHURCH OF ST MARY, ALVELEY

A parish church of Grade II* listing, built from the 12th century onwards. The building comprises a nave of four bays with aisles, a south chapel, chancel, west tower, and south porch. Early English chancel (restored late 19th century), south chapel of the 14th century, upper part of tower and battlements dating to around 1779, and late 19th century south porch. The church was restored in 1878-79 by Sir Arthur William Blomfield.

CONSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS

Early masonry includes tufa (a soft, porous limestone rock), with sandstone ashlar used throughout. The tower stands at the west end with a 12th century lower part featuring thin pilaster buttresses on the north and south walls. West lancet windows appear to be 13th century insertions, and the segmental-headed three-light west window is early 16th century. The diagonal buttresses, upper battlemented part, and belfry windows are later additions. A stone memorial, probably 18th century, is set into the south wall of the tower, alongside fragments of carved masonry.

The early 13th century south aisle was partly rebuilt in the 14th century as a chapel. One early 16th century window survives; the remainder are Decorated style or late 19th century replacements. The battlemented clerestory retains Perpendicular square-headed two-light windows, some containing 15th century coloured glass. The chancel dates to the mid-13th century but has undergone renewal by Blomfield, including the east window with stained glass by C.E. Kempe, the priest's doorway in the south wall, and string courses. Lancet windows in the side walls are probably 13th century, though the roll mouldings have been renewed. The north wall of the north aisle retains some 12th century fabric but was largely rebuilt in the 16th century. Two windows with reticulated tracery are late 19th century, but earlier wooden lintels survive. A kitchen extension built against the north aisle in the late 20th century is not of special interest. A late Norman style doorway gives access to the 19th century south porch.

INTERIOR

The Norman tower arch is round with an inner order that is square and an outer order with roll and hood mouldings. The west window is Perpendicular with three cusped lights and a four-centred arch, retaining three grisaille roundels of painted glass. A cast-iron spiral staircase leads to the belfry.

The nave was originally aisle-less; aisles were added between approximately 1180 and 1200. The four-bay arcades vary considerably in style. The north arcade has round recessed arches of two square orders with circular columns bearing square, flat capitals decorated with leaf motifs and square abaci. The east and west responds appear remodelled around 1200 with triple shafts, the central west shaft keeled, featuring scallops on the west capitals and shallow foliage on those to the east. The south arcade has similar triple-shafted east and west responds with fully developed stiff leaf foliage to the capitals, circular columns, and circular capitals carved into upright crockets, showing more developed Early English character.

The nave roof dates to the late 15th century with arched braces resting on decorative stone corbels, some forming grotesque heads. The pews are probably late 18th century. In the north east angle of the north aisle is the stair to the former rood loft, with a four-centred arch to the lower doorway. The organ occupies part of the eastern bay of the north aisle.

The south chapel retains medieval floor tiles with heraldic designs and a mid-14th century trefoil-headed piscina with stone shelf. The east window is late 19th century with stained glass by Kempe. The chapel roof has moulded beams and is nearly flat. Against the north wall are corbels that supported the lower roof of the aisle before the chapel was built.

The chancel is Early English and underwent restoration in the late 19th century. The east window, triple sedilia, and piscina date from this restoration period. The reredos features a carving of the Last Supper. The pointed chancel arch, late 19th century but 14th century in character, springs from clustered columns with moulded capitals. The trussed-rafter roof with collar braces rests on brackets and dates from the same period.

FITTINGS AND MONUMENTS

A faded 14th century wall painting on the south wall of the south chapel is interpreted as an allegory of the Deadly Sins. A 15th century embroidered altar frontal is displayed in a case on the north wall of the north aisle. A commemorative brass of 1616 commemorates John Grove, founder of Alveley Church School, and is located in the west end of the nave. Numerous wall monuments date from the 18th and 19th centuries, including a hanging monument with Corinthian side columns and entablature from 1723.

A painted zinc reredos in the south chapel was created by C.E. Kempe in 1887. A stone font is incised with a Greek baptismal palindrome. A stone pulpit and carved timber lectern, both decorated with thick foliage bands, likely date to the late 19th century restoration.

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT

The church is dedicated to St Mary the Virgin and was constructed from 1140. The lower part of the tower, nave, and aisles are principally of Norman construction. The chancel is mid-13th century but was heavily restored in the late 19th century. The south aisle was remodelled for a chantry chapel in 1353 by Sir Thomas Astley of Coton Hall. In 1779, the original timber steeple was taken down and replaced with the battlemented upper part of the tower in stone. In 1878-79, the church was restored by Sir Arthur William Blomfield (1829-1899), one of the last great Gothic revivalists and a prolific church architect. Blomfield's work was largely limited to the exterior, including the south porch, whilst interior restoration was concentrated largely on the chancel.

The Church of St Mary the Virgin represents a fine example of an English parish church with substantial survival of Norman and medieval fabric complemented by late 19th century restoration work by the eminent architect Blomfield. Norman work includes the lower tower, nave, and arcades. Later building campaigns of the 13th and 14th centuries are of similar quality. The richness of architectural detail throughout is noteworthy, as are the variety of fittings and monuments, particularly the 14th century wall painting, late 15th century altar frontal, C.E. Kempe's painted reredos of 1887, and numerous 18th and 19th century memorial plaques.