Church Of St Mary The Virgin, Pattiswick (Redundant)

Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Pattiswick (redundant)

A redundant parish church built in the 13th and 14th centuries and restored in 1881–2 by E.J. Dampier. The building is constructed of flint rubble, partly plastered externally, with limestone and clunch dressings and a roof of handmade red plain tiles. Its component parts date across several centuries: the nave is mid-13th century, the chancel is early 14th century, the bell-turret is 15th and 19th century, the south porch is 16th century (rebuilt in the 19th century), and the north vestry and organ chamber are 19th century additions.

The chancel contains an east window that is 19th century except for its 14th-century splays. In the north wall is a 14th-century doorway with moulded limestone jambs and a two-centred clunch arch, with a 19th-century arch to the organ chamber further west. The south wall has two 14th-century windows, each with two pointed lights in a two-centred head and chamfered rear-arches; the eastern window has been completely restored externally. Between these windows is a 14th-century doorway with chamfered jambs and two-centred arch, much restored. There is no chancel arch. The chancel roof is 14th century, comprising 14 rafter couples with tenoned collars, soulaces, and ashlar-pieces (some replaced), moulded and crenellated wallplates.

The north vestry contains a reset 13th-century lancet window in its east wall with rebated and chamfered external jambs, sill, and head. A reset 14th-century window, uniform with those in the chancel's south wall and restored, is set in the north wall of the organ chamber.

The nave has three windows in its north wall: the easternmost is uniform with the organ-chamber window (restored), while the others are 19th century. Between the two western windows is the 13th-century north doorway, with plain jambs, two-centred arch, and a label chamfered above and below. The south wall contains three windows: the easternmost is 19th century except for its 14th-century splays and chamfered rear-arch; the second is a 14th-century window with two cusped lights and recessed spandrels in a two-centred head, with chamfered jambs and arch in two orders; the western window is a 13th-century lancet similar to that in the north vestry. Between the two western windows is the 14th-century south doorway, with jambs and two-centred arch of two chamfered orders, partly restored. The west wall contains a 15th-century window of three cinquefoiled lights in a square head (wholly restored externally) with hollow-moulded jambs and segmental rear-arch, plus two plain loops.

The nave roof is early 14th century, comprising 21 couples with tenoned collars, soulaces, and ashlar-pieces, moulded wallplates, and two tiebeams. The western tiebeam is chamfered on the upper arrises and has an octagonal crownpost with moulded base and cap and four-way rising braces. At the western end is an open studded gable separating it from the chancel, incorporating a king-stud (of which the axial brace has been removed) with straight down-braces trenched into both sides of the studs. This roof is described and fully illustrated in C.A. Hewett's Church Carpentry, a Study based on Essex examples (1982), pages 16–17 and 123.

The bell-turret at the western end rests on a 14th-century plain tiebeam. Its structure is inaccessible, but 19th-century purlins visible at the west gable suggest it has been rebuilt. It has a short octagonal spire, entirely weatherboarded.

The south porch is constructed of 19th-century grey brick with a 16th-century roof in one bay, featuring plain principals, butt-purlins, short curved wind-braces, and four common-couples.

The chancel contains two piscinae: one in the east wall with moulded jambs, two-centred head, and octofoiled drain (14th century), and one in the south wall of the nave with chamfered jambs, two-centred head, and sexfoiled drain (14th century).

Three bells are present, the first reported to be by Miles Graye (1668) and the second by Miles Graye (1632).

Fragments of 15th–17th century glass remain in the top lights of the south windows of the chancel and the northeast and two eastern south windows of the nave, reset with 19th-century glass.

Floorslabs dated 1381 and 1568 are reported below the north choir stalls, and another dated 1638 with the name D'Arcy is reported concealed behind the organ.

At the time of inspection in July 1986, the pews had been removed pending conversion of the building to secular use.