Church Of St Mary

HAVERHILL

TL6745 HIGH STREET 816-1/5/19 (South West side) 26/06/52 Church of St Mary

II*

Church. West tower C14 with Perpendicular upper stages, remainder with some C13 evidence, rebuilt C15, restored after fire of 1667. Major restoration 1867 by Elmslie & Franey: rebuilt nave arcades, refurbished roofs, reseated and opened up C15 south chapel arcades. Further restoration 1908-9 by HB Thake extending north aisle to east end and adding two vestries. Flint with conglomerate and ashlar dressings. Plain tile roofs. EXTERIOR: 3-stage tower with C19 mouchette west window: diagonal buttresses to west, side buttresses to east. Ringing chamber with slit windows; 2-light transomed belfry openings; crenellated parapet. Polygonal stair turret to south-east entered through external door above which is inscription: 'Turret rebuilt MDCCCLI'. North doorway of 1867: square hood with quatrefoils and dragons in spandrels. Four 3-light Perpendicular north aisle windows and plain aisle parapet. Rood stair turret developed into polygonal turret in C19. Four 4-light south aisle windows and one 4-light west aisle window. Crenellated parapet. C15 south porch, restored, with stepped diagonal buttresses with pinnacles: 4-centred outer arch and 4-centred inner doorway with minimal shields in spandrels: 2-light windows to east and west. South chapel lit through two 3-light Perpendicular windows. Priests' door blocked with brick in C20. North and south clerestories with five 2-light Perpendicular windows. 5-light Perpendicular chancel east window of C19 origins. North vestries with Tudor details. INTERIOR: 5-bay nave arcades of quatrefoil piers on tall polygonal bases: polygonal capitals support double-chamfered arches. Two west bays of nave screened-off in late C20. Early C14 tower arch consisting of quatrefoil responds and double-chamfered arch. Polygonal responds to chancel arch under hollow and chamfered arch: north pier pierced by cusped and subcusped doorway. 2-bay chancel arcade, that to north of 1908: quatrefoil piers and wave-moulded arches. Nave and aisle roofs are panelled, chancel roofed by boarded 4-centred vault. East end of north aisle: font with early C16 octagonal bowl decorated with cusped foliate circles alternating with Perpendicular tracery patterns on C19 stem.

North chancel wall: monument to John Ward, died 1602: bulbous strapwork obelisk frames 2 inscription tablets above a pendant apron. Both tablets with copious inscriptions. (Brown C: Dictionary of Architects of Suffolk Buildings 1800-1914: Ipswich: 1991-: 102; Pevsner N: BOE: Suffolk, 2nd Edition: Harmondsworth: 1974-: 252).

Listing NGR: TL6715345520