Church Of St Mary

TL 76 NW 3/51

KENTFORD BURY ROAD Church of St. Mary

7.5.54

II* Church, medieval with C19 alterations. Nave, chancel, west tower and south porch. Flint rubble (rendered on part of north wall), with dressings of clunch and limestone, parapet gables and prominent buttressing. Concrete plaintiled roofs (the tower roof flat with parapets of gault brick). Medieval features almost entirely mid/late C14, but chancel has earlier core. Large 2- light traceried windows to north and south walls; the 3-light east window is similar, with net tracery. Moulded arched C14 doorways to the nave and chancel have C18 panelled doors; the north nave doorway has a boarded C19 door. The tower has a fine circular C14 west window with fragments of C15 and C19 glass. Small ringing-chamber window on 3 sides, but the south window was replaced by a round-arched belfry opening when the tower lost its upper stage and was repaired C18 in gault brick. Simple pointed tower-arch. The south porch was added later C14; arched doorway with weathered pilaster; a mask gargoyle survives from the original roof (the existing purlin roof was added C17). Crow-stepped gables and C15 2-light side windows with tracery, later blocked. On the parapet is a C19 sundial. Above the south doorway is an empty image niche. The broad moulded chancel arch is in the C14 manner, but probably rebuilt C19. The nave has a plastered canted roof, renewed C19 with simple hammer beams; the chancel has a C19 roof of arch-braced collar-beam trusses also with vestigial hammer beams. The thorough restoration of the chancel in 1877 is recorded in stained glass in a chancel window. Over the north doorway is a late C14 painting of 3 crowned figures; extensive but faint painting throughout the nave exists beneath lime-wash. Octagonal limestone font in the C15 manner, dated 1902. In the nave is a complete set of C18 deal boxpews.

Listing NGR: TL7065466795