Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is a building of group value, originally a Norman church with a cruciform layout and a central tower. Significant additions and alterations occurred throughout the 14th to 17th centuries, and substantial rebuilding took place after damage during the Civil War.

The church now presents as a rectangular structure with triple gables at the east and west ends. The Norman tower retains its original arches on the north and south sides. North and south chapels, added around 1325 and 1530 respectively by the Paulet family, are distinguished by finely wrought Gothic and early Renaissance detail, including armorial features. These chapels are separated from the chancel by small doorways with arched openings above altar tombs.

The external appearance is characterized by red brickwork in English bond (with some areas rendered) and stone dressings. The nave aisles have three bays, while the chapels have four. The east end is raised and reflected in the higher roofline. Tile roofing, a coping, a weather band ornamented with armorial corbels, a cill band to the chapel windows, and a plinth moulding above the medieval flintwork, are all visible features. Buttresses and diagonal corner buttresses reinforce the structure. The windows include tracery (chestnut in the north chapel), and some are encased within earlier flint and stone walling. A 15th-century carved figure of the Virgin and Child resides within a canopied niche in the central gable at the west end. The west door is a delicate Renaissance stone arch set within a rectangular rusticated frame, likely a design attributed to Inigo Jones. The 17th-century tower is constructed of red brickwork with stone string courses and a crenellated parapet, the corner finials being modern replacements. The bell stage features coupled openings beneath hood moulds.

Internally, the massive arcading utilizes rendered brickwork with octagonal columns supporting four-centred arches, indicative of the late Perpendicular style. Squints, a rood stair, and an inscription dated 1519 (marking the renewal of the aisles) are also present. Original roofs of open arch-braced trusses are found within the aisles, while the chapels feature plaster barrel vaults. Various wall monuments, including one by Flaxman dated 1784, and hatchments (one displaying the Royal Coat of Arms of 1660) are displayed. The 15th-century octagonal font is crafted from Purbeck stone. A Jacobean pulpit, originally from Basingstoke, stands within the church, while the south (Bolton) chapel contains a display of funeral helms, crests, and gauntlets. A parish room, added in 1981, extends from the north side with a half-hipped tile roof and rendered walls.