Church Of St Mary The Virgin

CHURCH OF ST MARY THE VIRGIN

Parish church with a 12th-century tower, possibly dating to the 11th century; the nave, aisles and chancel are mid to late 14th century with a clerestory added in the early 15th century. The building was altered around 1790 following a partial collapse of the tower. Major restorations took place in 1856 and 1891–93, with the chancel reroofed in 1904 and the south porch rebuilt in 1908.

The church is constructed of flint rubble with herringbone coursing in the tower and knapped flint elsewhere with some flushwork. Ashlar and red brick dressings are used throughout, and the aisles are cement rendered. The roofs are glazed pantiled. The building comprises a large round tower to the west, a nave with aisles and south porch, and a narrower and shorter chancel with a north vestry.

The west tower is a 3-stage structure with a diameter of 29 feet and a height of 62 feet. It is said to be the largest Norman round tower in England and was possibly originally a watchtower for St Edmund's Bury. Since 1789 it has been open and ruinous. Below a large arched opening to the west is a floriated cross slab, with a small round-headed opening above. The top has two set backs and has partially collapsed to the west. To the east is a large blocked opening that once issued into the nave, with two upper round-headed openings. In the upper stage to the south is a cusped lancet, and to the north a round-headed opening. Perched on the junction of the tower and nave roof is a late 18th-century weatherboarded bell-cote with louvred 2-light Y-traceried openings and a leaded ogee cap with a weather vane.

The nave clerestory features six 2-light Perpendicular windows to north and south with brick voussoirs and hood moulds linked as an impost band. Below these are flushwork panels with initials under coronets and various geometrical designs. Short end buttresses support coped gable end parapets to the shallow pitched roof.

The unbuttressed north aisle has two tall 2-light 14th-century windows with rectilinear tracery and curvilinear heads, with similar windows on the east and west returns. Towards the west is a double chamfered pointed arched doorway, blocked with 19th-century squared flint. A moulded course runs below a plain brick parapet. The south aisle is similar, with a 19th-century 3-light window towards the east, restored windows on the east and west returns, and a 2-stage diagonal buttress to the south west. From the west bay is a rebuilt gabled south porch with a sundial over the outer pointed arch. Two-stage diagonal buttresses to the returns have 2-light windows, with an inner double hollow moulded pointed arch.

The chancel features a central 14th-century low side door to the south with a heavily moulded pointed arch and shafted jambs. Above this is an empty niche with a cusped ogee head, flanked by 2-stage buttresses. A tall 2-light window with hexagonal rectilinear traceried heads is positioned nearby, with a moulded plinth and cornice to a rebuilt embattled parapet. A south-east 2-stage diagonal buttress supports the structure. To the east is a panelled moulded plinth and string course below a large 5-light window with complex curvilinear tracery, and a coped gable parapet with ridge cross to the steeply pitched roof. To the north are two 2-light windows; to the north-east is a tall vestry with twin gables, a plaintiled roof, 2-stage diagonal buttresses, a 2-light window and a stack to the east.

The interior features a blocked tower arch and a 14th-century double chamfered chancel arch with semi-octagonal responds with moulded caps and bases. The outer chamfers have cusped stops. The nave has 3-bay arcades with double chamfered arches and octagonal piers with moulded caps and bases. The nave roof spans 6 bays with alternating moulded arched braces and single hammerbeams, collars with short king posts, moulded purlins and ridge piece. The arched braces have traceried spandrels to the hammerbeams, and a brattished cornice runs along the wall plates. Mask corbels are restored, and the lean-to aisle roofs are rebuilt.

The 5-bay chancel roof, added in 1904, has arched braces and posts on mask corbels with canopied niches. In the chancel, windows towards the west have 14th-century shafted jambs to moulded rear arches, with simpler mouldings to the east except for the large east window, which also has shafted jambs and an outer moulding. An elaborate stone reredos of 1856 displays richly carved vinescroll ornament and panels with biblical texts in Gothic surrounds. A piscina with a cusped and crocketed ogee head is positioned to the south. The north and south aisles have simpler piscinae, chamfered and cusped, with simply moulded rear arches. A 14th-century octagonal font has a moulded cap and base to the stem, with masks to the bowl featuring cusped and crocketed gabled faces and a brattished head.

The south aisle contains the Royal Arms of Charles I on a carved oak oval panel, as well as Betts family hatchments. 19th-century seating copies the original with poppyhead bench ends carved with figures and animals. Some 18th-century barley sugar balusters are used in 19th-century communion rails, and fragments of a 15th-century screen are incorporated into the altar table. The chancel floor contains three 18th-century slabs with arms to members of the Betts family, and the south aisle has two medieval floriated cross slabs. Some 15th-century glass fragments remain in the east window.