Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is a parish church dating back to the 12th century, with significant extensions and an extensive restoration in 1849 by SS. Teulon. The building has a cruciform plan, incorporating a low central tower. The tower's lower stage is constructed of coursed rabble flint walling and later has diagonal freestone buttresses. The upper section of the tower is octagonal, with cusped two-light windows and a crenellated parapet rebuilt in gault brick. The nave and chancel are built of rubble flint with freestone dressings. The west gable wall of the nave shows traces of a late medieval heightening. Two identical Romanesque doorways are present in the west and south walls, featuring a single order of shafts, scalloped capitals, and a heavy roll mould. A five-light west window with perpendicular tracery is mirrored in the east window, both dating from the mid-19th century. The nave also contains mid-19th century poppy-head benches, a pulpit, and an open timber roof. A richly ornamented 15th-century font, possibly restored, displays figures of four monks around the base, interspersed with a dragon, lamb, unicorn, and pelican—symbols associated with baptism. A 20th-century tall wooden font cover, carved in a traditional style, is also present. The 12th-century chancel arch is moulded with a hollow and half-roll, with saltire crosses in the abaci and nook shafts. Fragments of a medieval rood-screen are incorporated into later work. The chancel contains eight 15th-century poppy-head bench ends reused in later stalls. Late 17th-century black ledger slabs are laid on the floor, alongside late 17th-century communion rails with twisted balusters. The chancel’s barrel roof has the eastern bay over the altar treated as a canopy of honour with 19th-century Gothic decoration. The north and south transepts, along with the south porch, were designed by Teulon, with the south transept reputedly a rebuilding. These are faced with kidney flints in an Early English style and have open timber roofs. The interior of the north transept is divided by a Gothic timber screen, with decorative cresting, to create a vestry. The east and west walls of the south transept display funeral hatchments. Four medieval stone coffin lids remain fixed against the south wall of the chancel, while three ornate 18th-century headstones lie against the east wall. A 19th-century vestry is situated in the north-east angle of the chancel and transept, with five ornate 18th-century headstones against the north wall, two of which include footstones.