Church Of St Mary

Church of St Mary

This parish church comprises a chancel dating from the 13th or 14th century, a 15th-century nave, south porch, south aisle, and west tower of possibly earlier origin. The building was substantially restored in the 19th century.

The exterior is constructed of flint, rubble, red brick, and Roman brick, with stone and red brick dressings. Much of the original rendering remains. The roofs are covered in red plain tiles, with stone parapet verges to the chancel and nave and cross finials at the gable apices.

The chancel features buttresses to the angles of the east wall, at the centre of the north and south walls, and at the north western angle. The east window is a 15th-century composition of four cinquefoiled ogee lights with vertical tracery over and a four-centred head, finished with a label bearing head stops. The north wall contains two windows, each with two cinquefoiled lights, trefoils over, two-centred heads, and labels with head stops. The south wall similarly has two windows with two cinquefoiled lights and tracery over, two-centred heads, and labels; the western window has gargoyle stops to its label, while the eastern has head stops. Between these windows is a door with a two-centred head and a label decorated with flowers and head stops.

The nave's north wall contains central and western buttresses. Three windows each have three cinquefoiled ogee lights with vertical tracery over and moulded four-centred heads with moulded labels. A blocked red brick doorway with a segmental head and traces of herringbone brickwork lies east of these windows. The north doorway, positioned between the central and western windows, has a two-centred head of two chamfered orders and a door of six overlapping battens with two strap hinges.

The south aisle's south wall is buttressed at its angles and between the central and eastern windows. Two windows here each display three cinquefoiled ogee lights with vertical tracery over, moulded four-centred heads, and labels. The east and west walls contain similar windows. The western window is a 19th-century insertion with two cinquefoiled lights, a two-centred head, and a label. A moulded band runs below the red brick parapet.

The south porch has buttresses at its southern angles. The outer arch possesses a round head with a square label bearing quatrefoils to the spandrels, a chamfered arch stop decorated with carved flowers, and attached shafts with moulded capitals and bases. The east and west walls each contain a window of two cinquefoiled lights with a segmental head and moulded label.

The west tower is of three stages with buttresses to the western angles and a stair turret at the south east angle of the second stage, lit by quatrefoil and slit lights. The tower was formerly topped with a spire which was dismantled circa 1818. A plastered parapet and bands mark each stage. The bell chamber faces are each pierced by a louvred window of two trefoiled lights with pointed segmental heads and labels. The north and west faces of the second stage each have a small, much-worn trefoiled light; a clock occupies the south face. The west window comprises three cinquefoiled lights with vertical tracery and a segmental head, finished with a label bearing monkey headstops, now restored. Flint and stone panels appear at the plinth.

Interior

The south porch roof spans two bays and features a moulded ridge board, side purlins, and principal rafters. The wall plates are moulded and crenellated on all sides, with keyblocks at the centre of the east and west wall plates and moulded arched braces to north and south. The floor is of red tiles.

The chancel roof is of the "cradle" type spanning five bays, possibly from the late 14th or early 15th century. The roof is coved from the wall plates to the side purlins and from the side purlins to the ridge board, boarded between the rafters. The wall plates, side purlins, ridge board, and rafters are all moulded. Five carved angels with musical instruments appear to each side of the roof (circa 1912), with shields to the wall plates below each angel. The windows contain 19th-century stained glass. The sanctuary floor is laid with 19th-century coloured tiles, while the remainder of the chancel has wooden parquet flooring.

A carved and painted reredos of three panels dominates the east wall, featuring a canopy over the central panel, an enriched parapet, and bosses to the cornice. Blue shafts with capitals and bases serve each panel, crocketted heads, and gilt diapering. A square piscina is set into the south wall. Nineteenth-century carved wood altar rails front the altar. Two early 19th-century oval wall plaques commemorating the Tweed family ornament the north wall, while two 18th-century rectangular memorials to the Hingeston family are mounted on the south west wall. Nineteenth-century choir stalls, panelling, and a carved and traceried rood beam complete the chancel furnishings. The chancel arch is chamfered with a two-centred head.

The nave contains a 15th-century hammer beam roof of eight bays. The wall plates are moulded and carry shields. Arched braces to the collars rest on the hammer beams, whilst moulded double side purlins and a king post support the moulded ridge board. Carved spandrels ornament the wall post braces, with shields positioned below. The floor is laid with 19th-century coloured tiles. An 18th-century octagonal pulpit with sounding board stands within the nave. An organ blocks the west tower arch.

The south arcade consists of four bays with octagonal columns, moulded capitals and bases, and two-centred arches of two chamfered orders. The south aisle roof is of lean-to construction spanning four bays, with moulded wall plates, moulded principal and alternate tie beams carrying shields, and moulded arched braces to the tie beams. The windows contain 19th-century stained glass. The south wall features a vertically boarded dado and carries a memorial to the Press Family dated 1807. Traces of painting appear on the south aisle wall. A 19th or 20th-century font of octagonal plan stands in the nave, with a moulded rim and soffit to the bowl and a moulded capital and base to the stem. The west tower arch is plastered with a round head and simple jambs.