Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is a parish church largely dating to the 11th, 14th, and 15th centuries, with an extensive restoration around 1878 by the Reverend E.R. Benyon. The nave and chancel are primarily constructed of rubble flint with freestone dressings, and have plaintiled roofs. Sections of coursed flint are visible in the lower part of the south wall of the nave. The south side of the nave features three restored windows with reticulated tracery, while the north side has two 14th-century windows with remnants of crown glass, and a 13th-century lancet window with a deep inner splay. The chancel also contains 14th-century windows, including a 4-light east window with reticulated tracery. Diagonal buttresses are present at the east end, and a stone string course runs along the north and south walls of the chancel, acting as a hood mould over the windows and priest's door. A 15th-century south porch has a renewed timber roof with a steep pitch and plaintiles, and diagonal buttresses with knapped flint side walls. A simple 14th-century south doorway is similar to the priest's door in the chancel. The north doorway is the oldest feature in the building, dating to the 11th century, with a plain tympanum, small volutes on the capitals, and a heavy roll-molding to the arch. This doorway now provides access to a vestry added in 1903 to commemorate the reign of Queen Victoria. The large west tower has four stages, constructed primarily of black knapped flint, with a chequer-work base of flint and freestone, and a plain castellated parapet. The east wall is extended to the north and south to form two angle buttresses; further diagonal buttresses are present at the west end, all faced with freestone and panels of knapped flint. A full-height stair turret is located on the south side. The top stage has 2-light windows in a Decorated style on all four faces, while a similar west window on the second stage contains fragments of medieval glass. The church houses six bells, with dates ranging from 1629 to 1849, notably a 15 cwt. tenor and second bell both dated 1631. Interior fittings and timber roofs all date from the 19th-century restoration and are in a traditional East Anglian style. A 14th-century chancel arch and an elaborate angle piscina with a credence shelf from the same period are also present, with crocketed and finialled details. A window-sill sedilia is also noted. Memorial stained glass windows date from around 1880. Eight traceried and painted panels from the lower part of the rood screen, removed during the 19th-century restoration, are now held at the Victoria and Albert Museum.