Church Of St Mary

HARLEY C.P. HARLEY SJ 50 SE 4/48 Church of St Mary 13.6.58. GV II

Parish church. Medieval origins, re-built, except for C13 and C15 west tower, by S. Pountney Smith in 1846. Regularly coursed sandstone with ashlar dressings, machine tile roofs with coped verges. Nave, chancel, west tower and south porch. Tower: 3 stages, bottom 2 stages C13, embattled top stage late C15; cusped 2-light windows with hoodmoulds and carved heads as label stops to belfry, string course below parapet with gargoyles to corners; second stage has short lancets on north and south and clock (c.1814) on west; late C15 west window of 3 lights to ground stage has cusped panel tracery and hood- mould with carved heads as label stops. Nave: buttressed in 3 bays, 2-light Gothic-style windows with hoodmoulds; gabled porch projecting from first bay to west on south. Chancel: of 2 bays on high chamfered plinth, lancets with hoodmoulds and scrolled label stops; pointed doorway to centre on south and east window of 3 stepped lancets. Interior: pointed double-chamfered tower arch dying at responds; King-post roofs to nave and chancel with pointed chancel arch; re- positioned late C18 high box pews and C12 circular font with circular pedestal and plinth; oak chest with 3 fleur-de-lys strap hinges probably medieval; stained glass in chancel and west window by David Evans of Shrewsbury, including medallions in Flemish style to east window (cf: Christ Church, Cressage C.P.). Monuments: in chancel, brass of knight and lady (c.1480) said to be Sir Richard Lacon, Sheriff of the county, and his wife; figures of children (8 sons and 5 daughters) below; primitively carved wall memorial (north side) to Benjamin Jenks, rector (died 1724) and below one C17 and one C18 headstone to members of the Harnage family moved inside from the churchyard; wall tablet to Jenks's first wife in tower and two C18 hatchments to members of the Harnage family flanking chancel arch. A tablet recording the re-building of the church is in the tower. B.o.E., Pp. 139-40; D.H.S. Cranage, The Churches of Shropshire, Part 6 (1903), Pp. 491-2.

Listing NGR: SJ5962201471