Church of St. Mary

SU 57 NE 10/6

ALDWORTH PARSONAGE GREEN Church of St. Mary

24.11.66

I

Church. C12 tower and part nave, early C14 south aisle and part chancel C19 east wall and south porch. Flint and stone with Bath stone dressings and tiled roofs. West tower nave, chancel, south aisle, south porch and north vestry.

South elevation: to left: tower with hipped roof and weathercock, stepped clasping buttresses and two-light louvre at top; to centre: south aisle with gabled porch to left over main door with two centred moulded arch, aisle divided into three bays by buttresses.

East elevation: aisle to left with clasping buttresses and window with two centred arch and flowing tracery, drip mould with carved heads at springing; chancel to right with brick plinth and clasping buttresses, C19 window with two centred arch and plate tracery.

Interior: plastered: nave: three bay collar roof, chancel: timber barrel roof, piscina cusped arched niche with chamfered surround. South aisle: three bay crown post roof with scissor bracing, arcade of two centred arches with moulded octagonal piers and carved grotesque animals at springing of arches above the piers.

Tombs: along south wall three tombs C14 under restored canopies of ogee arches with decorative cusping, crockets and finals divided by shafts with tall crocketed finials. Each tomb bears a carved stone effigy, that to the eastof Sir Philip De La Beche, in centre Lady Joan De La Beche, to west John De La Beche, Along the north wall three C14 tombs with restored canopies as described above and carved stone effigies; to the east Sir Philip De La Beche, centre Sir John De La Beche, west Sir Robert De La Beche, each knight is in armour with legs crossed and Sir Philip is twisted onto his side. Under the arcade two tombs with carved C14 effigies, to the west Lord Nicholas De La Beche in armour with hands joined on chest, to the east Sir John and Lady Isabella De La Beche.

Fittings: C19 carved timber screen between nave and chancel; C17 carved timber pulpit with swags, flowers and ornate strapwork said to have been brought from the Church of St. Laurence in Reading; lectern in similar style with carved architectural perspective flowers, fruit and figures; three bench ends of C14 carving with poppy heads and beasts and three copies of C17 on benches under the tower; simple stone tub font in south aisle.

Listing NGR: SU5540679381