Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is a Grade II* listed building located in Kingsclere. It dates from the 12th, 13th, and 15th centuries, with significant restoration and new construction carried out by Hellyer and Ryde in 1848. This church stands on the site of a Saxon minister and features a large cruciform Norman design with a central tower and a later south chapel. The 1848 restoration included a re-faced exterior, the raising of the tower, and walling made of knapped flint with stone dressings. The architectural details reflect a Norman style, incorporating earlier fragments in the now-filled north door.

The west door has recessed stages with moulded arches supported by columns, while the south chapel features Perpendicular windows and stepped buttresses, with the east window showcasing 'Geometrical' tracery. Inside, the church is relatively plain, with deeply-splayed 'Norman' lights in the nave and an Early English arcade between the chancel and south chapel, which has moulded capitals. The Purbeck font, dating from the 12th century, has a modern base, and the pulpit is Jacobean. A candelabra at the crossing is dated 1713. The chapel contains brasses from 1503, 1519, and 1580, along with several 18th and early 19th-century wall monuments. The south transept features a donations board from 1830 and a tomb monument to Sir Henry Kingsmill, who died in 1620, and his wife Bridget, who died in 1672. This monument consists of two fine alabaster effigies lying on a classical altar tomb made of black and white marble. The church is topped with a unique weather vane, and its setting in the central green space is significant.