Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is a parish church that originally dates back to the 13th century. The lower stages of the tower and the arch leading from the porch into the nave are remnants of the original structure. The church was largely destroyed by fire in 1863 and was subsequently rebuilt in the Early English style by W Mullions of London, with the upper part of the tower added in 1889.

The building is constructed from coursed Isle of Wight stone rubble with ashlar dressings, featuring tiled roofs and a shingled spire. The layout includes a chancel and nave, along with a north chapel and a porch at the southwest end of the nave, topped by the tower. The tower consists of three stages, with the lower two dating from the 13th century and the bell stage from 1889. It has buttresses, with the bell stage displaying two arches on each face and a crenellated parapet. The spire is broached and shingled, topped with an iron weathervane.

The entrance is located at the base of the lower arch, which features double arches with hood moulding. The nave contains three lancet windows, while the west end has a circular window with two lancets below it. The chancel is lower than the nave and has two trefoil-headed lancets, with the east window featuring three trefoil-headed lancets. The north chapel has two gables, two windows, a circular window above, and two lancets below. The windows are adorned with grisaille glass by Lavers and Baraud. The roof is of the scissor-brace type, and there is a 13th-century arch separating the tower from the nave.

Inside, there is a 19th-century pulpit made of Caen stone, featuring figures of Christ and the four evangelists, along with an alabaster cornice and marble columns. The font, also from the 19th century, is trefoil-shaped and made of Sicilian marble. There is a medieval piscina and 19th-century double Caernarvon arched sedilia. The north chapel includes two 19th-century family pews with wood and ironwork infill.