Church Of St Mary

ATHERSTONE ON STOUR

SP2050 Church of St Mary 1912-1/11/30 02/08/72

II

Church, now disused. 1876, by J Cotton, incorporating material from demolished medieval church on site. Rock-faced dressed squared limestone with ashlar dressings; steeply pitched slate roof with tile crest, ornamental to chancel. PLAN: 2-bay chancel, 3-bay nave and south-west steeple. EXTERIOR: chancel has coped gable, relief cross below 3-light E window with Decorated tracery and hood with stops; some ashlar banding to gable and four C19 wall memorials to members of the Smith family, all obelisks with flames; north side has 2-light window to left of gabled vestry with 2-light window and canted porch to re-entrant angle with parapet over entrance with 4-centred head; south side has 2 windows of 2 lights on sill course with relief cross below. Nave north side has large offset buttresses with gablets and lateral stack with octagonal shafts; arched recess (obscured by ivy) and two 2-light windows, one single-chamfered; south side has offset buttress and large buttress to east end with pinnacle; 2-light windows, that to left with repaired C14 head, flank traceried lancet with hood and re-cut C14 head; west end has clasping buttresses and consecration cross below 3 small lancets with rose window above with head stops to hood. 3-stage tower has string courses and pilaster buttresses to upper 2 stages; entrance with continuous moulding and hood, flanking beast carvings; 2 carved crosses and small gablet above; 2nd stage has narrow lancets, round clock recess to south and quatrefoils to other sides; bell stage has 2-light traceried and louvred bell openings below gablets with gargoyles; modillioned cornice and crocketed pyramidal spire with weathercock; inner entrance with plank door. INTERIOR: chancel has collar-rafter roof with ashlaring; seat recesses to eastern windows and piscina to north with cross; entrance has enriched tympanum to segmental-pointed head, string/hood and enriched stop; chancel arch has corbelled inner mouldings and low walls, part demolished. Nave has enriched deep-arch-braced collar trusses and collar purlin; double-chamfered pointed recess to north-east; 2-light traceried tower opening with balustrade. FITTINGS: chancel has framed altar and rail on braced stop-chamfered posts. Nave has plain pews; timber pulpit with arches over pierced panels; octagonal C19 font with trefoil panels and plain round former font. MEMORIALS: marble wall slab to William Thomas, d.1710, with top urn, side drapes and apron with cherubs; grave slab to Thomas Copto (probably Compton) recorded (VCH); C19 and C20 wall memorials. (Buildings of England: Pevsner N: Warwickshire: Harmondsworth: 1966-: 78; Victoria County Histories: Styles P: Victoria History of the County of Warwickshire: 1945-: 4 FF).

Listing NGR: SP2053951000