Church Of St Mary

Church of St Mary, Kenninghall

Parish church of flint with ashlar dressings and leaded roofs. The building comprises a late 15th-century west tower, early 14th-century nave, north aisle and chancel, with altered 15th-century fenestration. The chancel was restored in 1874 and the nave in 1890–91.

The west tower stands in three stages with diagonal buttresses. The lower stage is chequered with ashlar and stands on a panelled base course decorated with wheel and diaper panels. An arched west door and a 3-light 15th-century west window sit under a relieving arch. String courses mark the division between stages. The ringing chamber has lancet lights and the belfry below has 2-light windows, all beneath a crenellated parapet.

A low gabled south porch dating to around 1400 has a 4-centred entrance arch with hood on head stops and diagonal buttresses. A sundial is set in the gable, and 2-light side windows sit under square hoods. Below this, a 12th-century south doorway features one order of shafts carrying fluted capitals with square imposts. The imposts and voussoirs bear bands of panelled dog-tooth ornament. On the east jamb is a 12th-century carving of a dog, and on the west a riderless horse of around 1300.

Three 3-light 15th-century Perpendicular south windows are set between flat buttresses (diagonal at the east end). A truncated round-headed Y window of the 14th century sits above the porch, and five 2-light trefoil-headed clerestory windows sit under depressed arches.

The chancel has three restored early 14th-century cusped Y windows with continuous hoods above a string course; the western window drops to a low side window. A flat buttress and angle buttresses flank a similar 3-light east window. The north chancel is continuous with the nave aisle and has flat buttresses. East and north aisle windows are 3-light 15th-century Perpendicular work under 4-centred arches with hood moulds. A 16th-century 4-centred chapel doorway sits in a square hood with spandrels inscribed W...B within leaf trail. Two eastern clerestory windows match the south, while the three remaining ones are encircled quatrefoils. An early 14th-century north doorway also survives.

Interior

The interior contains a five-bay north arcade, with the east bay transeptual. The piers alternate between octagonal and quatrefoil forms, the latter with rolls between lobes. Double sunk chamfer arches sit on moulded capitals. Clerestory windows occupy the spandrels above. A circular tower arch with hollow jambs and a chancel arch matching the nave arcades complete the principal structural framework.

The roof is 15th-century work featuring king posts with queen struts to chamfered through purlins. The tie beams rest on arched braces dropping to wall posts set on corbels. The two eastern roof trusses are filled with 19th-century tracery but retain heavily roll-moulded 15th-century ties, wall plates, wall arches and butt purlins. The eastern bays of the aisle roof are similarly elaborated. An arched braced crenellated tie beam at the north-east chapel supports painted Royal Arms of Elizabeth I in the form of an arch head, bearing the inscription "God Save The Queen". Two fragments of poppyhead benches survive under the tower, and an early 17th-century ringing gallery bressummer carries a 19th-century balustrade above.

A plain octagonal 14th-century font is topped by an elaborate late 14th-century cover. The cover has eight radiating buttresses on the base supporting a central drum. Each buttress carries 2-light pierced tracery with transom supporting a quatrefoil head. The painted drum is flanked by crocketted finials of the buttresses, from which further engaged buttresses rise, also with crockets and finials. The crocketted top stage is a restoration terminating in an inverted octagonal trumpet finial.

A trefoiled holy water stoup is set in the south nave wall, and an ogeed piscina sits to the east. Painted Royal Arms of Charles I hang over the north door. The chancel roof is 19th-century king post work. A moulded arched piscina beside bench sedilia sits under a 4-centred moulded arch within a square hood.

An altar tomb of around 1500 commemorates George, Lord Audeley. It spans three bays north and south, with large quatrefoils bearing blank shields flanking 2-light tracery with reticulation frieze. The tomb stands on a bell-based plinth and originally bore a marble top from which brasses have been removed. The east and west ends are damaged.