Parish Church Of St Mary

The parish church of St Mary is a building with a history spanning several centuries, incorporating elements from the 12th century onwards. The original nave window dates from the 12th century, with early 13th-century transept chapels added subsequently. The chancel and nave arcades were rebuilt in the early 14th century, accompanied by the addition of north and south aisles. A west tower was constructed in the late 14th century, and a clerestory was added around 1500. Two chancel windows were unblocked in 1665, and the east wall of the chancel was rebuilt, shortening its length, in 1739. A restoration in approximately 1885, overseen by W. White, saw the reconstruction of a wooden belfry in flint and stone.

The building is constructed of flint and rubble walls with dressings of Barnack limestone and clunch, covered by plain tile and lead roofs. The north elevation features a 15th-century chancel window of three cinquefoil lights, a 14th-century window of two cinquefoiled ogee-lights, and a clerestory with four two-light windows. Aisle and north transept detailing includes a modern gabled porch. Three two-light windows are present, with two original 14th-century clunch windows featuring mouchette tracery and large segmental foiled triangle heads. A restored two-centred arch serves as the north entrance, with continuous moulded jambs. The west tower has three stages, topped with a plain parapet, and features a two-light belfry window.

Inside, the chancel arch comprises two chamfered orders springing from semi-octagonal shafts with moulded capitals. The north and south walls have two bays of 14th-century arcading. The nave arcade consists of four bays to the north and three to the south, with early 14th-century two-centred arches springing from piers with four attached shafts, moulded capitals, and bases. A dog-tooth ornament is visible on the eastern arch of the south arcade, indicating an early 13th-century origin. The tower arch has two chamfered orders with attached shafts, moulded caps, and bases. A section of a blocked round-headed arch in the south arcade suggests the presence of an aisless 12th-century church. The nave roof, dating back to the early 16th century, has been restored, featuring hung post trusses, curved braces, and arcade tracery in the spandrels, with false hammer beams over the clerestory windows. Carved bosses are located at the intersections of the moulded main timbers. The aisle roofs also feature carved braces. A 15th-century octagonal font has a bowl with foiled panels and shield decoration. Two 18th or early 19th-century hatchments are also present. Two wall paintings are located in the nave, alongside an early 15th-century screen of five bays. Further details regarding brasses, brass indents, monuments and floor slabs can be found in the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments for East Cambridgeshire, and in A.G Hill’s Architectural Notes of the Church of Cambridgeshire