Church Of St Mary The Virgin

Church of St. Mary the Virgin

Parish church. The church dates from the 13th century in its north and south doors, with the remainder built around 1400. It was restored in 1862 by G. E. Street. The building is constructed of carstone, ashlar and brick, with a slate roof to the nave and chancel, and lead roofs to the aisles.

The church comprises a west tower, nave, aisles and chancel. The three-stage tower has western angle buttresses containing stair turrets that extend the full height. A two-light restored Perpendicular west window lights the tower, with lancets to the ringing chamber. The belfry stage is of brick with two-light windows of early Perpendicular type, featuring panels on cusped round-headed lights. The tower parapet is crenellated and bowed at the western corners to accommodate the stair turrets.

The aisles have three-light Perpendicular windows on their west and east ends, with two-light side windows of the same pattern as the belfry. The south porch is of brick with flat buttresses and is tunnel vaulted within, with five moulded transverse ribs. A sundial dated 1742 is positioned over the exterior arch. The south door dates from the 13th century and has undercut mouldings on two orders of columns. Flat buttresses to the aisles are angled at the corners.

Five clerestory windows light the interior; those on the south have two-light Perpendicular windows of the standard pattern used throughout the building, whilst those on the north are three-light with stiff intersecting tracery. The north aisle door is arched and supported by two orders of 13th-century columns with moulded capitals and double hollow chamfered arches. A single stiff-leaf corbel sits below the hood mould.

The chancel has flat buttresses angled to the east and two-light side windows: two to the south and one to the north. There is a priests' door. The east window dates from the 19th century and is a four-light Perpendicular design.

Internally, the church has a five-bay arcade with quatrefoil piers with keels between the lobes. These have moulded polygonal bases and capitals supporting double chamfered arches, with clerestory windows set above the apices. The tower arch is stilted and chamfered on plain walls defined by wave mouldings.

The nave roof was installed by Street in 1862 and features crenellated tie beams on braces supporting octagonal crown posts with arched braces to the collars and purlin. The main trusses are scissor braced above and panelled. The chancel roof, of the same date, has collars on arched braces.

An angle piscina in the chancel is cinquefoiled to the north. The chancel screen dado dates from around 1500-1525 and consists of two bays on each side, each divided into two ogeed panels containing excellent painted figures of saints.

An early 17th-century pulpit features cable moulded arcades with a reading desk on scrolled brackets. An early 16th-century south-east parclose screen has each dado bay divided by cusped lights and a frieze of Perpendicular tracery.

A monument to Sir Henry Kervil of 1624 is of alabaster. The tomb chest has strapwork cartouches to two side bays and two of three front bays, with the central bay displaying figures of a baby and child. Straight-legged recumbent effigies of Sir Henry and his wife lie upon the chest. Behind the effigies, paired unfluted Corinthian columns flank a black inscription tablet with strapwork border. The columns stand on a heavy plinth with brackets and support a stepped entablature that rises in the centre to enclose a coat of arms. Arched strapwork corner finials complete the monument.

A font cover dated MFPH 1625 is supported by four turned columns with capitals and features a carved arcade with pendants dropping on alternate sides. A console cornice and conical roof with ball finial complete the cover, with a vulning pelican mounted upon the finial.

A brass lectern dates from 1518. A complete set of benches in the nave dates from around 1500, although those on the south side appear to be nearer 1400 in date. The benches have pierced backs with various geometric or flowing tracery panels. The bench ends have figures standing in niches, occasionally two figures in two niches, flanked by crenellated buttresses. The armrests feature figurative or animal designs and poppyheads.