Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is a parish church situated on the High Street in Swaffham Prior. The building incorporates elements from around 1100 to the 19th century. The church comprises a west porch, a west tower, a nave, north and south aisles, and a chancel. The prominent west tower primarily dates from the late 12th and early 13th centuries, but portions of the nave's west wall and the chancel, dating from around 1100, are remnants of the earlier Norman church on the site. The nave, aisles, and west porch were constructed in the 15th century. A significant restoration occurred in 1878, led by Arthur Blomfield, which altered the exterior appearance.

The west porch, built in the 15th century, is constructed of clunch and has a rebuilt gable roof. The west tower features a rectangular ground stage from the late 12th century, with the upper two stages being sixteen-sided and from the early 13th century. The tower is built of rubble, flint, and pebble with limestone dressings, sitting on a chamfered plinth. It has a modern blocked parapet and bands separating the stages, along with a cornice of billet moulding to the ground stage. The ground and first floors have 12th-century windows with round-headed arches of two orders in the first stage – the inner plain and the outer roll moulded on attached shafts with reeded cushion capitals. The second stage has double chamfered lancets in alternate sides, and the third stage has a lancet on each side with a single chamfered order. The exterior of the nave and chancel, including fenestration and doorways, dates from the 1878 restoration. A worn clunch north doorway, likely from the 15th century, is also present.

Inside, the west tower was built against the west wall of the 11th-century church, and the round-headed tower arch, with its roll moulding, dates from the late 12th century. The nave is 15th century, comprising four bays of two-centred arches with two moulded orders, the inner order resting on attached shafts with moulded and embattled capitals. A 15th-century clerestory features four windows on each side, each with two cinquefoil lights in a four-centred head. The roof has been restored, with original 15th-century embattled pilasters supporting the jackposts. The chancel arch has been rebuilt and incorporates a 15th-century rood loft opening on the South side, partially repaired, and a squint opening on the North side from the original North chapel to the chancel. Sections of the chancel wall are from around 1100, but all the fenestration has been removed. Two blocked openings for 12th-century windows are visible in the North and South walls. Brass plates and floor monuments from the nave have been removed and placed on the North and South aisle walls, primarily dating from the 15th and 16th centuries, with one memorial to Robert Chambers dated 1638. The glazing is from the 19th and 20th centuries. Highlights include monuments to the Allix family in the South aisle, and World War I and II memorials in the North aisle. The font bowl dates from the 13th century, while the stem and base are modern. The church shares a churchyard with another medieval church in the village; the two parishes were united in 1667.