Church Of St Mary

Church of St Mary

This is a parish church of 13th-century origin with later additions, substantially restored in the late 19th century. It stands on the north side of Middleton Lynn Road.

The church is constructed of uncoursed carstone rubble with stone dressings and has a slate roof. The plan comprises a west tower, nave, chancel, north and south aisles, and a south porch.

The west tower is the most distinctive external feature. It has an embattled parapet of pink brick with a string course decorated with gargoyles. Diagonal buttresses rise to the bell stage, and a polygonal stair turret projects to the north-west. The west doorway is renewed with 19th-century mouldings and figure stops. The lower part of the west facade is built in pink brick. A 19th-century west window contains 3 transomed lights with tracery above, its sill breaking the string course below. Small lancet windows pierce the west, north and south faces. The bell stage features a clockface of 1897 on the south side, with bell openings of 2 cusped lights under a quatrefoil on each face.

The nave, chancel and porch have gable parapets with courses. The nave roof is of green slate with 4 clerestorey openings on the north and south sides, each containing 2 cusp-headed lights under a square head. The north and south aisles extend westwards to clasp the tower. Both have lead roofs, diagonal buttresses, and 4 straight buttresses (2 to the south). Each aisle contains 3 renewed 2-light windows with panel tracery under a square head, with similar openings to the west of the south aisle and east of the north aisle. The east window of the south aisle displays Decorated tracery with 2 large mouchettes and a quatrefoil. Moulded doorways with renewed arches open to the north and south.

The south porch is wide and rebuilt. It has diagonal buttresses and a plain limestone arch with carstone voussoirs above. Inside is a tunnel vault with stone ribs and stone benches. The returns contain double cusp-headed lights under a square hood mould with rebates.

The chancel has diagonal buttresses, with north and south walls raised. Its 3-light east window dates to 1862 and has simple panel tracery. Both north and south chancel walls contain 2 2-light windows with plate tracery and a circular light above, the lights featuring delicate cusped bars standing proud. The south chancel includes a priest's doorway. A mural monument of 1812 on the east wall commemorates Elizabeth Fysh, made by Eldridge of Lynn. It features fluted columns supporting an open pediment with a relief cherub within.

The interior displays north and south 4-bay arcades with lozenge piers having cut-off angles and no capitals, and moulded arches. An arch-braced roof is supported on 19th-century foliage corbels. Much of the roof is renewed, with 19th-century bosses, some medieval braces, moulded purlins and principal rafters. The south and north aisles have 19th-century roofs. The south aisle retains a piscina and squint to the chancel from a high plinth with glazed medieval tiles.

The chancel arch has polygonal jambs and double hollow-chamfered arch, with label stops of male and female heads. The chancel roof of 1862 is supported on elaborate foliage corbels, some depicting birds. A 13th-century string course of deeply cut foliage bosses flanks the western-south windows. A 13th-century double piscina features deeply cut holly foliage mouldings with a spandrel between decorated with a lily. The rear arch of the east window shows a narrow moulding of 13th-century date. Nineteenth-century sedilia in stone have coloured infill with relief pattern sculpture at the rear. Four double panels of painted screen, heavily restored and repainted, run along the north chancel. Fifteen Tournai marble ledger slabs are present, including two bearing a shield of Fysh surrounded by 3 fishes, dated 1742 and 1749.

The tower interior contains arches to the east, south and north with hollow chamfers and roll mouldings, rising from massive lozenge piers with cut-off angles. A 19th-century octagonal font stands in the tower. A 16th-century alms box, originally from a poppy head bench end, is set against the south pier of the tower. It retains wrought iron straps and hinges.