Parish Church Of St Mary The Virgin

Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin

This is a parish church of mixed medieval date, comprising a late 12th-century tower and chancel with late 14th-century nave, aisles and porch. The building is constructed in flint rubble with limestone and clunch dressings, roofed with handmade red clay tiles and copper, and features a spire shingled in timber.

The late 12th-century west tower rises in two stages with a plain parapet and an 18th-century octagonal spire. The tower arch is two-centred with one square order and chamfered imposts. The lower stage contains lancet windows in the north, south and west walls, with the west window being notably wider. The upper stage is divided internally into two storeys. The lower storey has lancet windows in the north, west and south walls, the north window covered by a large wooden clock face set diagonally. The bell-chamber above contains two lancet windows in each of the north, south and west walls, repaired. A moulded band marks the division between the first and second stages, and the parapet is modern and crenellated.

The chancel dates to the late 12th century and contains two significant windows in its north wall: the eastern is 19th-century except for its 14th-century internal splays and segmental-pointed rear arch, whilst the western is late 14th-century, restored, with three cinquefoiled lights and tracery under a square head with a four-centred rear arch. The south wall holds two windows of similar character, with the eastern window having a hollow-moulded rear arch with broach stops and a sill extended downwards to form a seat, now replaced by a tomb. Between these windows is a large recess preserving evidence of a blocked 14th-century doorway. The east window of the chancel is 19th-century except for its 14th-century internal splays and two-centred rear arch. In the gable is a weathered 12th-century window of one pointed light, and the south kneeler of the gable is carved with a grotesque figure.

The late 14th-century chancel arch is combined with a stone rood screen of exceptional quality. The arch itself is two-centred with three moulded orders and moulded labels with head-stops, whilst the responds have clustered shafts with moulded capitals and bases. The screen is divided into a wide central bay flanked by two narrow side bays separated by moulded shafts with moulded bases and carved capitals that rise to the chancel arch. The middle bay features an ogee head, cinquefoiled and sub-cusped, with carved spandrels and a moulded and enriched label bearing crockets, finials and angel-stops. Above this sits a crenellated pedestal supporting a 19th-century rood, with small enriched ogee arches on either side surmounted by pedestals carrying 19th-century figures. The soffit of the middle arch is cusped and sub-cusped, whilst the side bays have two-centred heads with cusped tracery.

The chancel roof comprises seven cants, boarded to the soffit, with two carved straight tiebeams on wall-pieces with arched braces. The western beam is carved with the monogram IHS with cross and crown, repeated within circles and in one instance enriched with a crown of thorns. Its braces feature grotesque corbels carved with centaurs, the initials EB (for Edward Bendlowes) and the motto 'Tende Solve'. The rear of this beam is carved with a vine-leaf design. The eastern beam is carved with interlaced lunettes and foliage.

The nave features late 14th-century arcades on both sides, each of four bays of which the westernmost is narrower than the others. The two-centred arches comprise three moulded orders with labels whose stops are carved as heads, beasts or grotesque figures. The columns each have eight attached shafts alternating between round and half-octagonal, with moulded bases and capitals, whilst the responds have attached half-columns. A late 14th-century clerestorey containing four windows on each side rises above the arcades, each window having two cinquefoiled lights with tracery under a square head. The south side windows have moulded labels with grotesque head-stops, and the rear arches are four-centred. Below the internal sills runs a moulded string-course, returned along the east wall to the chancel arch. The aisle roofs are original lean-to structures with moulded beams, arched braces and corbels carved with figures.

The north aisle contains a late 14th-century window of three cinquefoiled lights with tracery under a square head in its east wall, restored, with a moulded label and four-centred hollow-moulded rear arch. Two similar windows occupy the north wall with grotesque head-stops. A late 14th-century doorway with moulded jambs and two-centred arch of two moulded orders opens from the west into the 19th-century vestry. A similar window, restored, occupies the west wall. The brick parapet and crenellated stone coping are 19th-century additions.

The south aisle is uniform with the north aisle but more heavily restored in its windows. A late 14th-century doorway with moulded jambs and two-centred arch under a square head sits west of the south windows, its spandrels carved with blank shields and tracery, with moulded label and head-stops. The original door-leaves feature portcullis rear framing and vertical boards carved with a traceried border, trefoil-headed panels and a band of tracery at half-height, minimally restored.

The late 14th-century south porch has a moulded plinth, two-centred outer arch and moulded label. Its gable contains a niche with moulded jambs and cinquefoiled head, carved grotesques on the kneelers, and the weathered base of a cross. The east wall contains a window of two trefoiled lights under a two-centred head, flanked by two square quatrefoiled openings. The west wall holds a similar window. The porch roof comprises seven cants, plastered to the soffit, with moulded wall-plates.

Internally, the north aisle contains significant medieval stained glass. The north-east window retains 14th-century glass depicting canopy heads and figures of Saint Lawrence, the Crucifixion and Saint Stephen. The north-west window shows canopy heads and suns, also 14th-century. The west window displays three shields: the arms of Mortimer; Old France and England quarterly; and Mortimer impaling the latter, representing Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March and his wife Philippa, dated to the late 14th century and restored.

Two piscinae survive: the first in the north aisle at the east respond of the north arcade, with moulded jambs, cinquefoiled head with quatrefoiled spandrels, oak shelf and a broken quatrefoil drain, dating to the late 14th century; the second in the south aisle within the east jamb of the south-east window, featuring openings on two sides each with a cinquefoiled head and a quatrefoil drain, also late 14th-century.

The chancel contains an altar tomb to William Bendlowes, serjeant-at-law, dated 1584, and his wife Eleanor, executed in Purbeck marble with a moulded slab and moulded and panelled base, now largely destroyed. The slab retains a brass figure of a woman in close cap, veil and ruff, with inscription and two shields of arms. A limestone tablet on the south wall commemorates the same William Bendlowes, 1584, featuring small pilasters, a brass Latin inscription, two brass shields of arms and traces of original colour.

The church contains six bells, the second and sixth cast by Miles Graye in 1602.