Church Of St Mary The Virgin

Church of St Mary the Virgin

Parish church of early 14th century date, refenestrated in the 15th century, altered around 1735 following the collapse of the west tower. The building was restored in 1859 and 1900. It is constructed of flint, largely knapped with some squared and some flushwork, with ashlar dressings. Red brick repair and cement rendering have been applied in places. The nave roof is slated and the chancel roof is leaded.

The church comprises a broad four-bay nave with a south porch, a shorter, lower and narrower chancel with a north-east vestry, and a ruinous west tower. A chequerwork plinth runs along the nave and porch.

The nave south elevation has three large three-light Perpendicular windows with brattished rectilinear tracery and segmental pointed arches with hood moulds, set at regular string courses at sill and impost levels. Full height two-stage buttresses support this wall. The south porch, positioned in the west bay, was originally two storeys tall. It features a tall outer entrance arch of two wave-moulded orders with semi-octagonal moulded responds, heavily moulded capitals and bases, and an impost string course. Above this is a two-light traceried segmental pointed arched upper chamber window. Two-stage diagonal buttresses and gargoyles at the angles support a plain rendered parapet. The returns contain two-light openings with curvilinear tracery; the western opening is blocked while the eastern has a cusped quatrefoil. The inner entrance arch is heavily moulded with jambs containing slender shafts with capitals and bases.

The north side of the nave is similar in character, featuring a continuously moulded pointed entrance arch in the west bay. A semi-octagonal rood stair projects to the north-east, with string courses on the nave to the west and coped gable parapets with a ridge cross to the east. To the west, ruinous sections of the north and south tower walls remain as buttresses to the nave. A small gabled brick belfry sits on the ridge, and the blocked tower arch is rendered in snecked stone.

The chancel's east end retains a flushwork plinth with cusped arched panels and a 19th century four-light east window. Red brick repair is evident and the plain parapet overlooks a shallow gable with a three-stage buttress to the south-east. The south elevation has a low door with a continuously moulded pointed arch and mask-stopped hood mould, and towards the west a simpler three-light 15th century window with ogee-headed lights. A blocked window and flint and brick three-stage buttresses occupy the eastern portion. The north elevation has a blocked three-light window with similar tracery to the south, and a cement-rendered lean-to vestry rebuilt in the 19th century with diagonal buttresses.

The interior features a triple-chamfered pointed chancel arch with semi-octagonal responds, large capitals and bases, and a tall triple-chamfered tower arch with semi-octagonal responds, capitals and bases. The tower arch is blocked in the 18th century with rendered raised panels over a round-headed boarded door. The four-bay arched braced nave roof is largely 19th century with scissor bracing over collars and angel corbels to the arches. The four-bay chancel roof has moulded arched braces to principals and brattished wall plates. Rear arches to the nave windows have engaged shafts with capitals and bases and string courses at sill level.

To the north of the chancel arch are two centred-arched rood loft openings. Within the chancel, a door to the vestry features a double wave-moulded arch with mask-stopped hood mould. At the end of the north wall is an Easter Sepulchre with a four-centred arch decorated with roses and carved spandrels; below this are five four-centred arched niches, partially blocked. At the east end of the south wall is a chamfered pointed-arched piscina with a hexafoil drain.

The restored 15th century font is octagonal with quatrefoils to the plinth, four lions on the stem, and angel corbels to the bowl decorated with Evangelists' symbols and Tudor roses. A restored 15th century rood screen of five bays features panelled dado with cusped tracery, richly traceried ogee-headed openings, and shafts to ribbed coving.

The furnishings include an early 17th century communion table with turned legs, three early 17th century chairs, one bearing a relief scene of the sacrifice of Isaac, and reused early 17th century arched and strapwork panels on a cupboard in the vestry. An early chest with iron bands is also located in the vestry. Royal Arms of Charles I dated 1634 are displayed in the former tower arch. The nave contains 19th century poppyheaded bench ends and choir stalls with vase-balustered frontals.

A chest tomb to R. Yaxley, dated 1570, stands in the south-east of the nave. It is constructed of ashlar with a moulded base and capping decorated with three cusped lozenges bearing shields; the brasses have been removed from the capping. A panel with arms in three lozenges is set on the south wall. The nave south window retains 15th century glass showing full figures of saints and fragments.

An external monument below the windows on the nave south wall bears 18th and early 19th century inscribed panels to the Bullock family.