Church Of St Mary

Church of St Mary, West Winch

Parish church of 13th century and later date. Constructed in carstone with limestone and brick dressings, and slate roof. The building comprises a west tower, nave, chancel, south aisle and south porch.

The tall tower is mainly of carstone with limestone dressings and features stepped diagonal buttresses. A polygonal stair turret projects to the north-east. The west face displays a lower part of flint flushwork panels. A Perpendicular west doorway has blank shields in the spandrels and large lion stops, with two side shafts to left and right. Canopied polygonal niches flank the doorway. The 3-light west window has stepped supertransoms and panel tracery, with some brickwork above. A clock with a limestone face is dated 1727. Traceried sound openings appear to north and south, the northern one with a blank shield. The bell openings consist of two cusped lights under a large cusped eyelet. The tower is topped by a brick embattled parapet with limestone crocketted pinnacles.

The nave incorporates earlier diagonal buttresses from the tower. The south nave is of carstone with some limestone and brick dressings. Three renewed clerestorey lights with brick dressings comprise 3 trefoil-headed lights each, set under a segmental arch.

The south aisle is of carstone with limestone dressings. Two openings each contain 2 cuspheaded lights under a square head, the right-hand one with figure stops. The east window of the aisle has 3 cuspheaded lights.

The south porch is gabled to north and south, with a gable parapet featuring shaped kneelers and remains of a cross on the north gable, covered with plain tiles. The south facade and diagonal buttresses are of flint and limestone chequerwork. A double hollow chamfered porch arch is present. Above the arch sits a sundial dated 1766. The returns are of brick with flint chequerwork plinth, and include 2-light Decorated openings.

The porch interior features a quadripartite vault with stone ribs springing from defaced figure corbels. Central to the interior are brick benches. The south doorway is moulded with a deeply undercut hood mould and large figure stops.

The chancel is of carstone with brick dressings. The south chancel has three stepped buttresses in brick and two openings—one of 2 lights and one of 3 lights—both under a square hood mould. A doorway to the right is blocked in brick. The east chancel contains much iron conglomerate and a 13th-century east window of 3 stepped lights. A mural monument to Phillip Brittiff, dated 1723 and Usher of the Free School at Lynn, is present. The north chancel contains a small lancet and a 19th-century lean-to vestry.

The north nave features large carstone blocks and two 3-light Perpendicular openings with panel tracery. The north doorway matches the south doorway. Crosses appear on both nave and chancel gables.

Interior features include a 19th-century renewed roof. A 3-bay south arcade contains polygonal responds, the western one with ball flowers to the capital. The eastern pier consists of two polygonal responds, with nail head decoration to the capital of the respond to the west, and a quatrefoil western pier. The eastern arch has double chamfers, whilst the central and western arches have double hollow chamfers.

The chancel arch is double chamfered with polygonal jambs and a lancet archway on either side. A north nave lancet retains a 12th-century splayed rear arch.

A 17th-century table with strapwork frieze and bulbous legs—the top extended—is present. 17th-century rails feature vase-turned balusters and newels carved with large figures holding a loaf, winecup, moneybag and cross.

A tall tower arch has semi-circular jambs with polygonal capitals supporting a multi-chamfered arch. A 14th-century screen to the tower displays Decorated tracery to four panels, the upper lights renewed. A 4-centred doorway leads to the tower stair with a ledged and battened door.

The south aisle contains a cuspheaded piscina and a 17th-century table. A plain octagonal tub font has a moulded base attached to an octagonal stem with moulded head. The rear arch of the south doorway is moulded. An alms box rests on a trefoil-headed 15th-century bench end carved with an image of St Paul.

The west nave retains some 15th-century poppy head bench ends and has a brick floor.