Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is a parish church with medieval origins, significantly restored in the 19th century: 1871 to the nave, and 1883-4 to the chancel. It comprises an aisled nave, a chancel, a west tower, and a Galilee porch with a former guild chapel above. The church is constructed primarily of flint rubble with stone dressings. The south aisle and facade of the porch are faced in knapped flint. Slated roofs cover the nave and chancel, while the aisle roofs are leaded.

The square, unbuttressed tower, largely dating from around 1100, features herringbone flintwork and long-and-short work to the quoins; it has two lancet windows to the south. The top portion was rebuilt in the late 14th century, with two-light belfry openings and an embattled stone parapet. A spire was removed in the mid-17th century. The late 14th-century Galilee porch has buttresses on its west face, originally containing statue niches, with a third niche above the moulded entrance arch; all original stonework is weathered. Restored 17th-century entrance gates feature turned balusters. A good moulded doorway leads into the base of the tower, accompanied by original doors.

The 15th-century four-bay south aisle exhibits flushwork to the buttresses and an embattled parapet with three pinnacles. South-facing windows have been renewed, and a doorway at the west end presents an enriched arch and shield-carved spandrels, partly renewed in the 19th century. The renewed four-light east window is also from the 19th century. A 15th-century four-bay north aisle incorporates renewed windows and a moulded doorway. The eight-bay clerestory is characterised by three-light windows. The nave has a three-light gable window to the east. The mid-13th-century three-bay chancel was substantially restored in the 19th century, with lancet windows to the north (two renewed) and two-light windows with plate tracery to the south. The priest's doorway features an order of colonnettes. The 1883 east window comprises three grouped lancets.

Inside, finely carved four-bay aisle arcades feature richly-carved capitals. The chancel arch, raised in the 15th century, has similar capitals. The circa 1100 tower arch to the west has simple incised geometric decoration on the imposts; the arch to the east was rebuilt. The 15th-century nave roof is composed of eight bays, showcasing alternate tie beams and hammer beams – both embattled – from which short moulded arched braces spring. Additional moulding details include principals, purlins, and a ridge piece, as well as an embattled cornice. Five mutilated angel corbels were once located at the foot of the wallposts, with the remainder now lost. An embattled rood beam is situated at the east end. The original aisle roofs remain. A scissor-braced rafter roof, dating from 1884, covers the chancel. A rood loft stair is positioned at the northeast corner of the south aisle. The chancel piscina has a pointed trefoil arch on colonnettes with a crocketed gable above, while the north aisle piscina incorporates numerous carved stone fragments. The octagonal font bowl, dating from the 15th century, has mutilated carvings, and it is covered by a 19th-century pyramidal cover. A carved 17th-century pulpit stands on a 19th-century stone base. A set of poppyhead benches was installed in 1871. The church contains two noteworthy monuments: one in the south chancel commemorating Sir Charles Framlingham (1595) and his wife, featuring full-size recumbent effigies on a carved tomb chest (with two hatchments positioned above), and another in the south aisle honoring Rev. John Simpson (1697).