Parish Church Of St Mary The Virgin

TQ 59 NW STAPLEFORD ABBOTTS CHURCH LANE 3/9 Parish Church of 20.2.67 St. Mary the Virgin (formerly listed as Church of St Mary) II

Parish church, mainly rebuilt in C19, retaining C17 N chapel and interior features from C14 onwards. Nave and chancel of random stone with limestone dressings, W tower of stock brick with limestone dressings, N chapel of red brick, English bond, roofs of red clay tiles. N chapel 1638, W tower 1815, nave, chancel, vestry and S porch 1862 by T. Jekyll of Norwich. E window, 3 N windows, 2 S windows and W window have geometrical tracery. The N or Abdy chapel has a small E lobby, with segmental-headed outer and inner doorways, plastered; above the latter is a date 1638 in brickwork. In the N and W walls are original round-headed windows, the arches externally of brick, the remainder plastered. External eaves cornice, cement-rendered. Coved ceiling. Original panelled door in outer doorway of lobby. In the E window of the C19 vestry, early C14 glass, with figure of St. Edward the Confessor holding a ring. In chancel, reset piscina with pointed head and foiled drain, C14. Pulpit late C16, hexagonal, sides panelled with arched heads and moulded pendants, arabesque frieze to cornice. In W tower, wall monument to Francis Stonard, 1604, and Lucye (Higham) his wife, 1596, also to Henry Stonard his brother, 1555, marble and slate tablet and panels of a larger monument with shield of arms. 3 cartouches of arms, C17, restored. Wall monument to Sir John Abdy, 1758, with large putto, oval medallion, portrait, and broken pediment on brackets.

Listing NGR: TQ5009496122