Church Of St Mary The Blessed Virgin

The Church of St Mary the Blessed Virgin is a Grade I listed building dating from the 14th century, with restoration work carried out in 1868 by Sir Gilbert Scott. Except for the west wall, the church is primarily of this later date and features an aisleless nave and chancel, a tower located to the north of the chancel, and a small north porch. The church has a tile roof and flint walls with stone dressings, which include 2 and 3-light windows, flush-bands, and buttresses at the outside corners. The tower is tile-hung above the eaves level, using framework salvaged from the old west tower, and features a slatted bell cage topped with a shingled broach spire.

Inside the nave, which consists of 3 bays supported by 4 trusses, there is a notable open roof from the original construction, characterized by ornamental struts and arch-braced tie-beams resting on timber verticals with attached 4-columns. Additionally, there is a timber-framed arched door leading into the porch. A distinctive feature of the building is the west wall, which displays the exposed frame on the outside with rendered infill; the upper section mirrors the roof design inside, and below the tie-beam, there is a large vertical element with braces on each side, all exhibiting a cusped effect.

Inside the church, there is a wall monument from 1692, a Jacobean pulpit that originated from the earlier church, and two floor slabs containing fragments of brass inlays, one dating back to 1448. The church is designated Grade I due to the significance of its medieval timber-framing.