Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is a medieval parish church, significantly altered in the 17th and 18th centuries and restored in 1906. It comprises a nave with a remnant of the original chancel, a west tower, and a south porch. The chancel was damaged by fire in 1641 and partially rebuilt, possibly in the 18th century; a date of 17-- (interpreted as 1776) is visible on the southeast quoin. The church is constructed of flint and stone rubble, with remnants of old plasterwork; herringbone work is visible on the north nave. Knapped flint faces the tower and porch facade. Stone dressings are present, and the roofs are thatched, except for the pantiled porch roof.

The 15th-century west tower has three-stage diagonal buttresses and a crenellated parapet embellished with flushwork. It features a two-light west window, likely renewed, and two two-light bell-chamber openings. A stone string course runs along the base of the parapet, carved with grotesques and gargoyles at the corners. The nave dates to the 12th century and retains original north and south doorways. The south doorway is particularly notable, featuring three orders of colonettes with spiral ornament on the central one, decorated scalloped capitals, a triple billet hoodmould, and further roll-moulding, zig-zag and pellet decoration. A carved string course supported by flanking pilaster strips overlays the doorway's arch. The north doorway has one order of colonettes and a chevron-moulded arch. All windows are in the Perpendicular style and were likely renewed in 1906. The 15th-century porch has a facade with flushwork panels in the plinth, and its entrance arch and hoodmould are ornamented with fleurons.

Inside, the ceiling is plastered, and the nave roof is likely 18th century, with alternate 17th-century tie-beams. Rood loft stairs are located in the north nave, and a niche for a banner stave locker is present in the southwest nave. The furnishings largely date to 1906. Two monuments by Coade and Sealy, dated 1806, are on the south nave wall: one to William Clarke, featuring a weeping cherub beside a draped urn, and another to George Mitchell and his wife, depicting a draped oval medallion with a woman resting her head on an urn atop a sarcophagus. A monument to Thomas Eachard, rector (1714), is on the north nave wall. Two hatchments are also displayed on the north wall. The church is designated Grade I for its medieval fabric, particularly the south doorway.