Church Of St Mary And St Rhadegund

The Church of St Mary and St Rhadegund is a parish church located in Whitwell. It is uniquely designed with two chapels side by side: St Rhadegund, dating from the 12th century, and the chapel of the Virgin, added around 1200. The nave also dates to the 12th century, while the chancel and south aisle were constructed in the 13th century. The south aisle was widened in the late 15th or early 16th century, during which time the south chapel, south porch, and tower were added, and the solid wall separating the original chapels was removed.

The church is built from Isle of Wight stone rubble and features a tiled roof, with the south porch having a stone slab roof. The west tower, dating from the late 15th or early 16th century, has two stages and angled buttresses, topped with a crenellated parapet. The lower stage includes an arched window with a hood moulding. The south porch, also from the late 15th or early 16th century, is gabled with a stone slab roof and has an interior that is rib vaulted with a stone seat.

The south aisle contains two paired cinquefoil-headed windows with drip-moulding and a buttress. Inside, there is graphite on the wall labeled RMN 1589 and a carved shield. The south chapel features two tiers of two cinquefoil-headed lights. The nave has three triple cinquefoil-headed lights with hood moulding and buttresses. The chancel's east window includes two cinquefoil lancets with hood moulding and grotesques.

The interior showcases a 12th-century three-bay arcade with one round-headed and one slightly pointed arch supported by round piers, featuring square abaci with chamfered corners. The south chapel arch has a Norman north respond with scalloped capitals. The church has modern crown post roofs and barrel vaulted ceilings, along with an octagonal stone font. A cherry wood pulpit from 1623 features blank arches and carved panels with arabesques above. The chancel includes a piscina with a shelf, while the south chapel has a 17th-century wooden altar and piscina.