Bell Tower Of Church Of St Mary

The Bell Tower of the Church of St. Mary is a detached bell tower dating from around 1240 to 1250, with restorations completed in 1907 and further major restoration that began in 1985. It is constructed from Barnack stone and features three stages, with each elevation being identical except for the north and south arches, which contain dog tooth ornamentation, while the east and west arches are plain.

The tower is pierced on all sides to provide walkways, supported by undercut moulded arches on piers with circular responds and two orders of shafts, each topped with moulded capitals and bases. The ground floor is reinforced with angle buttresses, each featuring a gabled arched niche. Stepped polygonal buttresses rise to the parapet, which is capped with crocketted finials. The second stage is characterized by arched arcading that runs continuously around the tower, with three bays on the flanks where the wall plane is recessed to create an external wall passage. The center bay has a louvred light, while the arched lights to the right and left are blocked.

The belfry stage includes two tiers of continuous arcading, with the lower stage interrupted by a two-light plate tracery window. The uncusped lights support a spandrel that is pierced by a moulded circle, and the jambs feature four orders of shafts, each adorned with dog tooth decoration and a richly moulded undercut arch. The 15th-century parapet is decorated with hollow-sided diamond motifs set within circles.

Inside, each corner pier has a segmental-headed doorway leading to a conically vaulted room, except for the southeast corner where the door is blocked but leads to a staircase. Occasional pointed lancets mark the staircase through the storeys. Only the floor joists remain on each floor, except in the belfry stage, where the bell frame is intact. The interior elevation mirrors the openings found on the exterior.