Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is a parish church dating from 1858, built in the Early Decorated style. It is constructed of dressed grey sandstone with a slate roof. The church comprises a 6-bay nave and chancel under a single roof, a western bellcote, and a north vestry.

The exterior features a chamfered plinth, buttresses with chamfered offsets, and parapeted gable ends with moulded kneelers and wrought-iron crosses at the apexes. The square bellcote has a battered lead-sheathed base, three trefoil-headed openings, and a steep pyramidal slate cap with sprocketed eaves. Trefoil-headed lancet windows are set into the north and south sides; those in the eastern bay are taller and feature a trefoil above. A south doorway, in the second bay from the east, has a moulded arch that transitions into chamfered reveals with broach stops, a hoodmould with carved stops, and a boarded door with strap hinges. The west end has a tall central buttress and flanking trefoil-headed lancets linked by a continuous cill string and hoodmould, both with carved stops. The east window has three trefoil-headed lights with an ogee arch in the centre, cusped circles in the tracery, chamfered reveals, and a hoodmould with carved stops. A small cusped opening is situated in the gable apex above the window. The small north vestry, set in the second bay from the east, has a hipped slate roof with a wrought-iron finial and an external stone stack with chamfered offsets and cap. A window on the front has two chamfered trefoil-headed lights and quatrefoil plate tracery. The vestry’s return front has a doorway with a moulded arch, chamfered reveals with broach stops, and a boarded door with strap hinges.

Inside, the roof is constructed with trussed rafters and features chamfered arch-braced collars at each end. The vestry doorway has a moulded arch, chamfered reveals with broach stops, and a boarded door with strap hinges. Fittings include a late 19th or early 20th century reredos, sanctuary wainscot panelling, a lectern, pews, and a stone tub font. Early to mid-18th century communion rails, likely reused from the previous church of St Mary, have turned balusters, a moulded rail, and a central gate. Paintings depicting the old church of St Mary, its churchyard, and the ruins are among the church’s historical records. The current church replaced the earlier church of St Mary, which subsequently fell into ruin.