Church Of St Mary

Church of St. Mary

This parish church dates from the 14th century, with major rebuilding in the 15th century following bequests dated 1469 and 1480. It was restored between 1820 and 1860. The tower and south aisle sustained damage from enemy action in 1940 and were restored in 1949–51, with the tower receiving further restoration in 1956–58.

The church is constructed of flint with ashlar dressings and some brick. The chancel roof is lead, whilst the remainder is slate. The plan comprises a west tower, nave, aisles, and chancel.

The four-stage tower is supported by diagonal buttresses with flushwork panelling and stands on a plinth featuring an arcade of trefoil niches with cusped wavy mouldings. The west doorway is moulded with jambs decorated by shields below a square hood; the spandrels bear encircled quatrefoils with shields and mouchettes. A five-light transomed west window displays Perpendicular tracery. Square traceried ventilation panels serve the ringing chamber. The three-light belfry windows sit below a flushwork traceried crenellated parapet.

The aisles have stepped side buttresses, diagonal to the corners. The west end of the south aisle retains the roof line of an abutting structure and a blocked lower window, with a three-light window positioned above this roof line. The south porch is flush with the west wall of the aisle and features diagonal stepped buttresses. Its arched doorway is heavily moulded below a square hood with spandrels decorated by encircled quatrefoils and other devices. Above this is a cusped statuary niche flanked by lancets opening into the parvis. Two-light ground floor windows face east and west, with lancets to the first floor. The porch has a crenellated parapet. Four three-light Perpendicular aisle windows on the north and south sides feature renewed tracery. Five two-light clerestory windows display modified 15th-century Y-tracery design. The south side has crenellated parapets; the north side has no crenellations and three buttresses rebuilt in brick. A blocked north aisle door is visible. Three-light panel traceried aisle east and west windows exist, except for the south aisle west. A three-light square-headed east nave gable window completes the clerestory.

The chancel has one stepped buttress on the north and south sides and diagonal east buttresses, all with flushwork. Two three-light renewed Perpendicular south chancel windows and an arched priests' door are present. A three-light 19th-century east window was inserted. The north chancel wall is disfigured by two blocked arched windows below two blocked two-light clerestory windows.

Interior

The south porch features a timber vault in the form of hollow and roll moulded arched braces rising from wall posts to meet at a central boss decorated with four Green Men. Subsidiary cross purlins are similarly moulded. A cusped holy water stoup stands to the right of the inner doorway.

The arcade is of five bays with 15th-century octagonal columns; one eastern respond survives from the 14th century. The columns have moulded capitals and bases with double hollow chamfered arches. The 19th-century nave roof comprises arched braces dropping to wall posts with short king posts to the ridge piece. Arched braced aisle roofs date to the same period and share similar design.

The tower arch mouldings are double wave and casement with semi-circular responds and polygonal capitals. A double hollow chamfered chancel arch springs from wall corbels.

A much-restored 15th-century screen of three bays right and left of an arched central opening divides the chancel area. Each bay is divided into two cusped lights supporting intricate openwork tracery of undecided stylistic content. The south nave aisle wall retains a rectangular niche beneath three miniature vaulted canopies.

A 15th-century octagonal font stands in the nave. Against its stem are alternating figures of wild men and lions below a traceried frieze. Angel heads support the bowl, which displays alternating panels of angels with musical instruments and the four symbols of the Evangelists.

The chancel south wall preserves the remains of a two-bay arcade of 14th-century date, comprising an octagonal pier and arches. The chancel roof dates to the 19th century and comprises arched braces.

A 14th-century ogeed and crocketed piscina with a top finial, all on short engaged columns with heads as capitals, is preserved on the chancel south wall.