Church Of St Mary

This parish church dates from the early 14th century but was largely rebuilt in the 15th century. The chancel was rebuilt and a south porch added in 1868 by E.L. Blackburne during a comprehensive restoration.

The building is constructed of flint rubble, some knapped and squared with flushwork decoration visible in the north porch. Parts are cement rendered with stone dressings. The roofs are tiled with fishscale patterning on the chancel, while the south aisle has a leaded roof. The church comprises a short nave with south aisle, west tower, north and south porches, and a narrower, shorter chancel.

The Tower

The square three-stage 14th-century west tower has no entrance. Between the lower stages on the west face is a niche with a cusped ogee head and flanking traceried shafts. The lowest stage has cusped slit openings with ogee heads on the north and south sides. At the west angles are three-stage diagonal buttresses decorated with flint and stone chequerwork and cusped tracery. The belfry stage features four pointed arched two-light Y-traceried louvred openings with stone quoining and a cornice below an embattled parapet.

The North Porch

The large and richly ornamented north porch, dating from around 1480, was given by the Yaxley family. This two-storey structure is as tall as the nave eaves. The pointed outer arch has triple orders of shafted jambs with brattished capitals. The outer shafts support spandrels carved with reliefs of St Blaise with a monster and Hercules with the Nemean lion; small dogs are carved on the moulding around the spandrels.

Flanking the entrance arch is a double plinth with flushwork and lower traceried panels. Above these are the initials IC with coronets, then blank shields of arms set in octafoils, and two niches with traceried vaulted canopies that are elaborately crocketed and pinnacled, supported by semi-hexagonal statue pedestals. Above the entrance arch runs a frieze of panels bearing the initial M and coronets.

The upper storey has two two-light Perpendicular windows with intermediate ornamental shafts flanked by two small canopied niches, and larger, more elaborately canopied outer niches. The parapet displays blank shields of arms with cusped scrolled tracery, sawtooth brattishing, and octagonal pinnacles topped with a central winged lion and outer seated figures. Two-stage diagonal buttresses feature flushwork and canopied niches matching the front elevation, with brattished offsets. The returns have two-light Perpendicular windows with hoodmoulds terminating in mask and lion stops, and octagonal pinnacles with gargoyles. Visible on the west return are quoins from the earlier nave and a kneeler from the lower roof.

Inside the porch is a groin vault with moulded ribs and tiercerons. The bosses depict Christ and the Virgin at the centre, with Evangelist symbols and angels. Angle colonnettes have crocketed pinnacled capitals. Original benches survive on the sides, along with a pillar stoup and 19th-century stained glass. The inner pointed entrance arch has triple orders with inner shafted jambs and brattished capitals. The early double doors have six vertically moulded panels with crocketed pinnacles at the centre and a quatrefoil frieze at the base.

The Nave and Aisles

The north side of the nave has two large three-light Perpendicular windows with an intermediate buttress and a two-stage diagonal buttress towards the east. The nave's east end has a coped parapet. The south side features a six-window clerestory, each with two lights and cusped Y-tracery in segmental pointed arches.

The south aisle has two two-light Perpendicular windows at the centre and towards the east, with cusped ogee-headed lights. A two-stage buttress bears a scratch dial, with diagonal buttresses at the ends. The east return has a two-light Perpendicular window with a hoodmould and mask stops. The west bay contains the 19th-century south porch/vestry with an outer pointed arch, semi-octagonal jambs, and short diagonal buttresses to the returns. These have two-light windows in square-headed surrounds, a coped gable parapet, and a ridge cross.

The Chancel

The 15th-century east wall of the chancel features a three-light Perpendicular window with cusped ogee-headed lights in a segmental pointed arch, flanked by two-stage buttresses. Shaped kneelers support a coped gable parapet with a ridge cross. The returns have two-stage buttresses with two different two-light 19th-century windows on each side and an eaves cornice. On the south side is a central low pointed entrance arch, above which springs a 19th-century flying buttress.

Interior Features

The tower arch is low and pointed with double chamfers; above it is a line marking the earlier roof. The taller pointed double-chamfered chancel arch has 19th-century foliate capitals. Above the chancel arch is a 15th-century three-light window opening into the chancel, raised in 1868.

A 15th-century three-bay arcade separates the nave from the south aisle, with octagonal piers having moulded bases and capitals and double-chamfered pointed arches.

The nave roof is a good six-bay arched-braced collar construction with short kingposts. Arched braces run from the kingposts to the ridge piece. The principals, purlins, and arched braces are moulded, with brattished collars and square foliate bosses. Some early colouring survives on the purlins over the east bay and on the wallplates, which are thrice brattished with wings from removed angels and coronets over ashlar pieces. Angels have been removed below the posts.

The south aisle lean-to roof has three arched-braced rafters with moulded purlin and principals, diamond bosses, brattished cornices, and angel head corbels. The 19th-century chancel roof has four bays with arched braces resting on stone angel corbels.

The nave and aisle windows have shafted rear arches with roll-moulded bases. Capitals survive only in the south aisle towards the east. A four-centred arched inner hoodmould sits over the early entrance into the 19th-century south porch/vestry. The early plank door has ornamental ironwork and strap hinges, while the outer pointed arch is double-moulded with a mask-stopped hoodmould.

North of the tower arch is a door providing access to stairs leading to the porch upper chamber. North of the chancel arch are lower cavetto-moulded and upper openings for the rood stairs, with the ends of the moulded rood beam remaining in the walls. In the chancel, towards the east on the south wall, is a restored piscina with a cusped ogee head and panel-traceried spandrels within a square hoodmould.

Furnishings and Monuments

The 15th-century chancel screen has five bays. The outer dados are divided into four panels each, painted with figures of saints. Those to the north are defaced, while the south side depicts St Magdalene, St Barbara, St Dorothy, and St Cecilia against gilded patterned backgrounds. The panels have ogee heads with carved spandrels and a carved frieze to the open upper sections. The tracery has been lost except in the central opening, which retains cusping, subcusping, and crocketing, with ornamental cresting to the head of the screen.

The tower arch has a Gothic glazed screen reusing a 17th-century panel with fragments of 14th- and 15th-century glass, all assembled in 1886.

A good hexagonal pulpit stands at the north-east of the nave, dated 1635 and restored in 1933. It has arched panels with strapwork, jewels, and gadrooning, shaped brackets to the reading board, and a canted blackboard with text inscribed in arched panels. A griffin bracket supports the tester, which bears the initials TF and TD, vine scroll and guilloche decoration, outer arabesques with acorn drops, and raised cresting above with a date on a shield. Part of a similarly carved contemporary clerk's reading desk is incorporated into a low desk north of the pulpit.

The plain 15th-century font is octagonal with a simply moulded base, eight round shafts around the stem, and a deep bowl. In front of the tower screen is a small iron strap-bound chest. The south aisle contains a small 18th-century organ. Late 16th-century carved seraphs are mounted over the vestry door.

A wall painting over the chancel arch preserves remnants of a large Doom. In the chancel to the north is a large late 19th-century organ with painted pipes by Bevington and Sons. The chancel floor has Minton encaustic tiles and 19th-century poppyheaded bench ends. The south aisle contains a 17th-century Communion table with turned legs. Over the south door is an iron Sexton's wheel, probably used for determining Fast days.

On the chancel north wall is a 14th-century effigy of a clerical figure in a restored recess with a quatrefoil frieze below. A chancel floor slab commemorates P. Yaxley (died 1706) with boldly carved arms, and a brass inscription commemorates R. Yaxley (died 1474).

The south aisle wall displays fragments of a Renaissance timber monument to W. Yaxley (died 1588), with a reconstructed inscription and arms on scrolled surrounds. In the vestry, a cupboard incorporates half Ionic columns and a dentilled cornice from this monument. The south aisle floor has a brass figure of A. Felgate (died 1598) and 17th-century slabs. The south aisle west wall bears hatchments to Reverend S. Leeke (died 1786), while Yaxley hatchments hang over the north door.

The east window was reconstructed in 1887 using 13th-, 14th-, and 15th-century glass fragments. Nave window heads contain some 15th-century fragments, and the south aisle has a panel depicting St Katherine. A late 19th-century figure stands in the nave to the north.