Church Of St Mary (Church Of England)

The Church of St. Mary is a parish church largely dating to the early 12th century, with significant additions and alterations throughout its history. A short transept or porticus was added or renewed in the 13th century, followed by the chancel around 1300. A south porch was constructed circa 1530, and the transepts were removed in the 16th century. The church underwent restoration in 1877, resulting in the rebuilding of the transepts on their original foundations and the replacement of the bellcote over the west end.

The building is constructed of flint rubble with uncoursed flint facing, dressed with clunch, oolitic limestone, and Barnack stone. The south porch is of red brick, and the roofs are covered with steep old red tiles, with a shingled bellcote featuring a traceried stage over a shingled base. The church comprises the nave, a square-ended chancel, small transepts, a south porch, and a west bellcote.

The chancel’s east window is a three-light pointed window featuring original moulded inner jambs and arch, restored externally. The north and south chancel windows are two-light windows with square heads, also restored externally. A monument to Robert Younge of 1626, restored and painted in 1979, is set into the north wall of the chancel. It takes the form of a fluted column shaft above a classical base interrupted by a circular niche containing a bust. A remarkable survival is a glazed tile pavement dating from circa 1300, radiating outward from the altar in dark green and yellow glaze with stamped patterns and circular, quatrefoil, and cinquefoil shapes. A corner shield displays the Monchensey arms, signifying the family who held the manor at the end of the 13th century.

The nave has a vigorous 19th-century open timber roof with arch-braced collar trusses, a single purlin to each slope, and tie-beams braced from wall posts resting on moulded stone corbels. Two 15th-century traceried windows are located on the south side, with two 19th-century copies on the north wall. East of these windows are the two-bay 13th-century arcades leading to the transepts. These arcades feature octagonal pillars and responds with moulded bases and caps, pointed arches in two orders with a deep hollowed chamfer, and moulded labels with mask stops. The original south doorway, dating to the 12th century, has plain square jambs, a grooved and hollow chamfered abacus, and a round arch, and appears to have been reset in 16th-century brickwork when the porch was added. A 14th-century west doorway is constructed of Barnack stone with a pointed arch.

The elaborate south porch, constructed of red brick, possesses a hollow chamfered plinth, diagonal buttresses with trefoil-headed niches in each face, and octagonal corner turrets with finials. The stepped embattled gable parapet incorporates a Tudor arched entrance of two moulded orders and hoodmould. A trefoil corbel table and a tall central feature include a niche housing a brick disc with a molet in relief. The porch has an original butt-purlin roof with a moulded cranked tie-beam. The font, panelled on all sides, dates to the 17th century.