Church Of St Mary

Church of St Mary

Church. Late 11th century or early 12th century with early 14th century and 15th century and 19th century additions and alterations. Flint rubble with ashlar dressings and lead roof. The building comprises a nave, an eastern tower (formerly central), a north-eastern vestry and a south-western porch. The eastern chancel is now demolished and the base of the tower serves as a chancel.

Tower

The eastern face has diagonal buttresses which die back via four offsets and have panels of flush work on their outer faces. A central blocked arch, formerly the chancel arch, is double-chamfered with a hood mould above which is a drip mould showing the line of the earlier roof. A three-light 19th century Perpendicular window has been inserted into this arch, with knapped flint walling. A 20th century belfry opening above this has a segmental head. The parapet is brick with ashlar quoins and coping to the battlements.

The north face has a canted staircase turret at the re-entrant angle between the left-hand buttress and the wall, with ashlar quoins. An angle buttress stands at the right. The tower walling has herringbone work to the middle stage and is blank at belfry level. A gargoyle projects below the parapet.

The south face has a Y-tracery window to the ground floor stage, herringbone flint to the middle stage and a single-light belfry opening with four-centred head.

The west face has a 20th century belfry opening at the right similar to that on the east face.

Nave

The south face has a projecting organ chamber at the right with diagonal buttresses which die back via two offsets and a string course below window level. The window consists of two lights with cinquefoil heads and a dagger to the top, with a hood mould and quatrefoil to the apex. To the left is a buttress with two offsets, and to its left a Y-tracery window of around 1300. The south-western porch, restored in the 19th century, has diagonal buttresses with two offsets. The central door surround has semi-octagonal colonettes, a chamfered arch and a hollow-chamfered outer arch containing square flower ornaments and crowns. The hood mould above has square floral bosses and ends in label stops in the form of crowned lions. Suspended shields decorate the spandrels. Cinquefoil-headed 19th century lancets flank the door. Much of the walling in this area was largely rebuilt in the 19th century.

The north side has a 19th century projecting gabled vestry of Flemish bond brick with two bays to each flank. To the left of the vestry are two bays divided by 19th century buttresses, with two-light windows having Y-tracery. The west end has diagonal buttresses and a central window of four lights with 19th century Flamboyant tracery.

Interior

In the porch, the church door has wave mouldings, casement and keel mouldings, a wave-moulded hood mould with figurehead label stops, and flush work panels to the spandrels.

The nave has a Perpendicular roof of seven bays with richly moulded wall posts which terminate in 17th century bosses. Arched braces rise from the wall posts to meet below the collars, which are brattished and bear very short king posts. Further arched braces run longitudinally beneath the ridge beam, joining the king posts, with bosses at the intersections. Halved arch braces run along the wall surface connecting the wall posts and have Decorated spandrels.

The pulpit is 17th century, raised on an octagonal stem of small brackets with a dentilled cornice. It has three tiers of richly decorated panels to the lower body and a panelled backboard. The backboard incorporates an earlier panel showing the arms of Catherine of Braganza. An octagonal tester with acorn dropped knops to the corners and centre is richly moulded, with pediments and vine trail.

A reading desk serves the choir, made up of portions of 17th century woodwork, probably reassembled in the 19th century. A similar prie-Dieu of early 17th century form has panels and Jacobean Ionic columns.

Early 18th century chancel rails have fluted columns, newels and turned balusters. A piscina with an ogee-headed trefoil is situated in the south-eastern corner of the chancel.