Church Of St Mary (Church Of England)

TL 4332 MEESDEN MEESDENBURY

9/132 Church of St. Mary 22.2.67 (C of E)

GV II*

Parish church. Early C12 nave, short transepts or portici added (or renewed) in C13, chancel c.1300, S porch c.1530, transepts destroyed in C16. Restoration 1877 with transepts rebuilt on old foundations and bellcote rebuilt over W end. Flint rubble with uncoursed flint facing and stone dressings of clunch, oolitic limestone and Barnack. Red brick porch. Steep old red tile roofs. Shingled bellcote with traceried stage over shingled base. A small unaisled church of nave, square ended chancel, small transepts, S porch and W bellcote. Chancel has 3-light pointed E window with original moulded inner jambs and arch but restored externally. 2-light N and S windows with square heads restored externally. On N wall of chancel monument to Robert Younge of 1626 (restored and painted 1979) in the form of a fluted column shaft above a classical base interrupted by a circular niche with a bust. Exceptional survival of a glazed tile pavement c.1300 with a radial design surrounding the alter in dark green and yellow glaze on stamped patterns and circular, quatrefoil and cinquefoil shapes. A corner shield bears the Monchensey arms, the family which held the manor at the end of the C13. The nave has a vigorous C19 open timber roof with arch braced collar trusses, one purlin to each slope tie-beams braced from wall posts on moulded stone corbels. 2-light C15 traceried S window and 2 C19 copies in N wall. E of windows are the 2-bay C13 arcades of church into the transepts. They have octagonal pillars and responds with moulded bases and caps, pointed arches in 2 orders with a deep hollow in a chamfer, and moulded labels with mask stops. The C12 S doorway has plain square jambs, simple grooved and hollow chamfered abaci and a round arch. It appears to have been reset in C16 brick work when porch was added. C14 W doorway in Barnack stone with pointed arch. Splendid elaborate early C16 red brick S porch with hollow chamfered plinth, diagonal buttresses with trefoil headed niches in each face and octagonal corner turrets with finials. Stepped embattled gable parapet with Tudor arched entrance of 2 moulded orders and hoodmould. Trefoil corbel table and tall central feature with niche in which is set a brick disc with a molet in relief. Original butt-purlin 1-bay roof with moulded cranked tie-beam. Font with panelled sides C17. (RCHM (1911)150: VCH (1914)80-1: Kelly (1914)185: Pevsner (1977)247).

Listing NGR: TL4389532557