Parish Church Of St Mary

Parish Church of St Mary

This is a parish church with a complex build sequence spanning several centuries. The chancel dates to the early 13th century, whilst the nave arcades, north and south aisles, and clerestories were added in the late 13th to early 14th centuries. A late 14th-century north doorway was inserted into the opening of a former vaulted north porch. The tower and the nave and aisle roofs date to the 15th century. In 1746 Philip Lord Hardwicke rebuilt the chancel roof and replaced its windows with round-headed lights. During restoration work in 1868–9 by E. Christian (dated on a water head), a vestry and organ chamber were added and the south porch was rebuilt. The upper part of the west tower was rebuilt in 1894. The floor of the chancel was relaid in 1949.

The walls are constructed of flint and pebble rubble with limestone and clunch dressings. The roofs are plain tiled or leaded.

On the south elevation, the west tower comprises four stages with a moulded plinth and embattled parapet. A semi-octagonal belfry stair turret to the south-east has a pyramidal roof rising above the parapet. A two-light belfry window sits in a two-centred arch. The nave, aisles, and chancel all have embattled parapets and moulded plinths (the chancel plinth is chamfered). Two-stage buttresses are present. A moulded cornice with mask ornament runs along the nave, terminating with two beasts in the east wall of the chancel. The gabled south porch features a 14th-century south doorway with a two-centred arch of two wave-moulded orders, with label and head stops. Four quatrefoiled clerestory windows are visible, along with four restored two-light transomed aisle windows with flat arches and labels. Two replacement chancel windows of two lights sit in two-centred arches, and a priest's door is present.

The interior contains a nave arcade of five bays with two-centred arches of two hollow-chamfered orders with chamfered labels. The piers are octagonal with semi-octagonal responds, all with moulded caps and bases. The tower arch is two-centred with three orders, the inner order springing from moulded caps with a continuous moulded base. The chancel arch is two-centred with two chamfered orders, featuring dogtooth ornament on the east side and similar enrichment to the caps of the responds with attached shafts.

The nave roof dates to the late 15th century and comprises four bays and two half bays. It has a moulded ridge, purlins, and wall plates. Principal rafters are supported by wall posts and solid curved and moulded braces forming four-centred arches, which are supported on finely carved stone corbels (detailed in the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments report). An original bell frame for five bells has a central post supported by curved braces. A clock in the bell chamber probably dates to 1734 and was a gift from Dame Grace Pickering, made by P Willington of Barnwell.

The font is 15th-century clunch with an octagonal bowl featuring quatrefoil panels, supported on an octagonal stem. A piscina in the chancel has a trefoiled head, hollow chamfered, with a square outer moulding. A screen of five bays, partly restored, dates to the 15th century, with a blocked rood screen doorway visible in the north wall.

The chancel contains several monuments and memorials. There are brass indents including a Purbeck marble slab with a marginal inscription dated 1364, and a table tomb for D' Eschallers dated 1469. This tomb, attributed to John d' Eschallers or John Challers, is constructed of clunch with cusped panels and a moulded top. A wall monument to Robert Allen Hurlock, vicar (died 1852), and his wife was created by Thomson and Son of Cambridge. Floor slabs of black marble commemorate Thomas Pickering (died 1661), Henry Pickering (died 1705), Dame Grace Pickering (died 1732), Elizabeth Glover (died 1737), Thomas Tempest (died 1644) and his wife Martha (died 1652), and Dame Elizabeth Pickering, wife of Henry Pickering (died 1694). A hatchment for Philip Yorke, 3rd Earl of Hardwicke (died 1834) is displayed in the chancel and was later used as an inn sign at the Hardwicke Arms in Arrington.

The organ is said to have been built by John Snetzler and was enlarged and remodelled in the 19th century by Walker of London.