Lych Gate At Church Of St Mary The Virgin

The lych gate at the Church of St Mary the Virgin was built in 1903 by C Harrison Townsend. It features an oak frame set on a stone base and has a peg-tiled roof. The structure consists of two bays and three trusses, with side purlins and axially braced queen posts. The tie-beams are supported by shaped braces, and the principal posts are braced in four directions down to cruciform sole plates. These elements are decorated with cyma and quarter round mouldings, which include variously decorated stops, primarily in the form of leaves. The barge boards are bracketed out and intricately carved with leaves and fruit. An inscribed tie-beam and plaque commemorate the construction of the gate in 1903 during the reign of King Edward VII. The gate itself is made of heavy oak framed boards in an Art Nouveau style, featuring a serpentine top with berry finials and heavy clasping hinges with exaggerated stud heads. This lych gate is part of a group with the Church.