Church Of St Mary The Virgin

The Church of St Mary the Virgin is a Grade I listed building located in Henham. This church primarily dates from the 13th and 14th centuries and has largely avoided later alterations. It is constructed from flint and stone, featuring an early 13th-century chancel, a 14th-century nave, and a south aisle from around 1300, which developed from a late 13th-century south transept. The west tower, built around 1325, consists of three stages with diagonal buttresses, a later brick battlemented parapet, and a small lead spire. The chancel includes some lancet windows, while the second column of the north arcade displays a fine carving of the Virgin and Child accompanied by censing angels. The north arcade also features carvings of a leopard's head and a dragon. The south porch, dating from the 15th century, has carved spandrels on the entrance archway and roof braces. Inside, notable fittings include a fine 15th-century octagonal font adorned with shields, a high 15th-century chancel screen, and a hexagonal pulpit from the same period, which is intricately carved with small buttresses, pinnacles, and traceried panels. There is also an 18th-century monument to Samuel Feake, who was the Chairman of the East India Company and Governor of Fort William, who died in 1757. The church is situated in a prominent position at the west end of the village, recognized for its architectural, historical, and topographical significance.