Church Of St Mary And St Botolph

The Church of St Mary and St Botolph is a Grade I listed parish church located on the east side of Thorney Abbey Place. It was formed from the five west bays of the nave of the original Abbey church, which was founded around 670, destroyed in a Danish raid in 870, and refounded in 972 for Benedictine monks. The church was rebuilt around 1085 by Abbot Guenther and completed around 1108. Currently, only the five bays of the nave remain, as the east end, aisles, and most of the monastic buildings have been lost.

In 1638, the ruined church was restored as a parish church; during this restoration, the aisles were demolished, and the arcades were filled in with Perpendicular windows. The arcades feature continuous shafts extending to the ceiling and alternating shafted piers. The round-arched clerestory includes one Norman bay on the south side. The gallery openings are adorned with shafts that have volute and scalloped capitals.

The west front is notable for its massive Norman angle turrets with octagonal tops and Perpendicular battlements, featuring a frieze with nine figures situated between and above a large partly blocked Perpendicular west window, with a portal beneath that is dated 1638. The east end, designed in Norman style by Blore between 1840 and 1841, is constructed of ashlar and includes short transepts with a vaulted interior. The nave windows contain German or Swiss stained glass.